Under Desert Skies
by Furor Scribiendi
Summary: AU - Now on the other side of the mountain, esconed away from Isis' reach, Yasmine must make her next decision and give Trowa an answer to his question...and why are the flats affecting her in such a way?
1. One

Under Desert Skies 

A/N: This is something I am writing purely for Miss Jasmine Maxwell-Yuy so if she wills it, you're gonna see it. Though I am writing a lot of this from my own imagination and all, so if you have a flame, pick it with me. Or Jasmine, though I highly don't recommend you doing that unless have experienced her yelling at you for yourself. And I mean it... O.o 

_Chapter 1_

The bright orange-red orb sank down into the hills of sand, the final rays bleeding away to the deep indigo punctuated by the appearing stars. The two horseback silhouettes stood there, gazing up at the sky overhead. 

"Are you ready to go back yet Princess?" 

Black almond-shaped eyes turned to look at the woman astride beside her. "Yes, I am." 

Making clucking sounds, the woman turned her horse back towards the city behind them. "Princess?" 

"I'm coming Fatima." she finally turned her horse around, falling silently in step beside her attendant. 

"I believe that your father is returning in about two weeks time." 

That failed to get a response out of her. Her father was always gone so much, visiting other countries to secure alliances and improve trade to their already booming country. But tonight was even worse with him still gone. 

"Princess, shall I draw you a bath once we reach the palace?" 

"Please." 

"Princess Yasmine, don't be so sad. She is in Allah's hands now. He will look after her in our stead." 

She looked over at Fatima, giving a wane smile. "I know." 

The rest of the ride back was quiet, filled with the whispering hiss of sand beneath their horses' hooves. First the low slung mud houses of the less fortunate greeted them as the entered the city, a few small children scampering away with giggles as they passed by. 

Yasmine looked at them with a sad smile; it seemed so long ago that she had been like that, carefree and happy, worrying only of dinner and baths. 

The mud huts gave way to the taller homes of the merchants, part of her country's lifeblood as they ferried in their exotic goods from the faraway East and West. The stalls were closed now yet the faint lingering of spices hung on the air, promising of the next day's events. 

_'I should get something for Father.'_ She looked at her horse's mane absentmindedly._'He keeps on talking of that game called chess...' _

"Princess!" 

Fatima's insistent voice broke into her thoughts. "I am sorry. Yes Fatima?" 

"Should you like to go out again tomorrow? You look as if you could use the break from your studies." 

"Yes, thank you." she murmured. "Fatima?" 

"Yes Princess?" 

"What would you like?" 

"I'm not too sure if I understand you Princess." 

"You always ask me what I want. So I am asking you, what would you like?" 

"You are most kind and thoughtful Princess." Fatima said quietly. "I only desire to see you happy and safe. When I came here, I devoted my life to others. But by far, you are my favourite ward. You are like the child I never had." 

"Come now Fatima, surely you must want something. What is it?" 

"Princess, every year you ask me this at this time. And what do I tell you?" 

"You only wish to see me smile." 

"Then smile and I shall be happy." Fatima said looking at her with one of her own. 

Yasmine smiled; Fatima had been there for as long as she could remember and she had yet to refuse her the little she desired. 

"See? Not all the jewels in the world could buy a smile as beautiful as yours." 

"How you joke so Fatima." she chuckled. "Is it just around this corner here?" 

"Yes Princess. Let me go first." 

A brief talk with the guards at the side gate and they were leading their horses to the Royal Stables. As the attendants led away their mounts, a loud nickering came from one of the stalls followed by a horse's head. 

"Rabi," Yasmine admonished, going to the horse. "you should be off that hoof of yours; it has to heal." 

"Princess," an attendant said approaching her. "we expect that you should be able to ride in a fortnight[1]. Her sprain was bad." 

"Thank you. See; you have to take it easy before we can go back out riding in the desert." 

The horse snorted loudly, making her laugh. Rubbing the muzzle affectionately for a few minutes, she left Rabi and headed up into the palace, up the flight of stairs to her rooms. 

"There you are. I took the liberty of having your bath prepared Princess. I know how you like to do it yourself but I thought it would be best for you to relax tonight." 

"The water was ready so quickly?" she asked, surprise in her voice. 

"They were anticipating this before we came back." Fatima smiled. "I shall retire now. If you need anything more, simply ring the bell." 

"I shall. Good night Fatima." she said as the older woman left her rooms. 

With a sigh, she undid the brooch of her cloak, draping it over the chair. Sitting down, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, seeing the things she had missed for so long in her life. 

She missed those sagacious eyes that could flash with amusement or irritation so easily. And those fine hands with dirt beneath the fingernails, testament to the times spent in the garden and stables. Or the hair that was braided and wrapped into its usual bun as was hers now. 

"So alike and yet so very different." she murmured, fingers touching the glass as if she could reach her through the cold surface somehow. 

With another sigh, she rose from her seat, heading for her bath; she didn't feel like bathing all of a sudden but she wouldn't let someone's hard work go to waste. Stripping down, she eased herself into the hot jasmine-scented water, the tension in her muscles starting to loosen until the only effort she was making, was to keep her head above the water. 

Slowly her eyes took in the same details as they always had. The endless stretches of cloth in the room, the table of toiletries by the small table mirror. Beyond was her rooms filled with just as much cloth, her bed behind thick cleverly designed drapes; one pull of the cord and the screening curtains would fall. She made a face simply thinking about it. 

_'I've never been one for palace life.'_ She rose from the bath, drying her skin and changing into the cool clothes laid out for her. 

Slowly she walked out onto the balcony, sitting down on the stone against the railing and looking at the sky again; why would one wish to stay inside when all of this lay beyond the erected walls? There was a beauty out here that humans vainly sought to capture; though they never would. Tilting her head back, she looked up to see the full spread of stars out now, diamonds in the black dark above. Strange how she seemed even closer from those distant stars than from the nearer mirror. 

With a sigh, she closed her eyes. _'I miss you Mother.' _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Eagerly Yasmine looked out over the set that lay ready to use on the table in her father's rooms. She had gone down to the market early in the morning with Fatima and found a chess set for her father crafted from ivory and ebony. 

_'I don't think that's right...'_ She looked back at the book she had bought on the game. "The queen...is where the rook is supposed to be..." quickly she put the pieces in their proper spots."There. Father should be pleased with this; I cannot wait to see the expression on his face." 

"Princess Yasmine! Princess Yasmine!" 

The call was quickly followed by the sound of horns blaring in the distance. Excited, she ran to the nearest high balcony. 

"Come Princess!" Fatima said as she rushed out to the end. "Your father has returned!" 

Yasmine could hardly keep herself from bolting to the stables and saddling a horse to ride out and greet her father. She did miss him a lot during him month long visit, but she knew the lecture that Fatima would give if she spoiled her good clothes. 

"Father must have had a very successful trip; look at all the camels Fatima! He went to Egypt right?" 

"Yes Princess, calm down." Fatima said with a laugh. "He will undoubtedly tell you about his entire trip once he settles back in." 

"I don't think I can wait that long!" she started pacing around. "Why did they not use horses? He would have been back by now!" 

"Ah, yes, the impatience. I told her that you would plenty of that; as he would undoubtedly have too." 

"He?" Yasmine paused from her pacing. "Who's he?" 

"No one Princess. It's just the ramblings of an old woman." 

"Oh." she returned to her pacing; she hadn't quite bought that explanation. Fatima seemed a bit...edgy to her. 

"Look! He has entered the palace now!" 

Yasmine ignored Fatima's eager and relieved pointing to start down the stairs to greet him; it would take her a few minutes to reach the audience chamber. Hurrying in, she stood beside his throne, waiting patiently. The main chamber doors opened, allowing in the tall man whose presence seemed to charge the whole room. 

"Caliph Akbar Ali Al-Faqir has returned at last." came a crier's voice. 

Everyone in the room bowed as the caliph walked down the carpet to his throne, taking his seat. Silence descended all around in the room as he people rose again. 

"Isn't someone going to say something?" he asked once he looked around the room. 

"Welcome back Father." Yasmine said with a smile. "It is good to see you back with your people and family." 

"It's good to be back." he said with a faint smile. "And I return bearing good news. We are successfully allied with Egypt against the nomadic hordes who threaten the safety of both nations." 

A loud cheer erupted from the room from the people in the room yet Yasmine remained silent. _'How could Father call mother's people a 'horde'?"_ In their brief years together, Akbar had been utterly devoted to his wife and daughter. _'Something's not right here.'_ She waited along with the few others. 

"My people, I bring more good news." Akbar said once the noise in the room died down. "Our alliance with Egypt is doubly secured." 

Yasmine watched with everyone else as the doors were opened again. A lightly veiled woman walked in slowly, eyes fixed on Akbar. As the strange woman passed, quiet murmurs followed after her; no woman could be that lovely; was it a trick upon the eyes? When she reached the step that Akbar now stood on, he reached out with is hand; the woman placed hers in his gently. 

Horrified, Yasmine watched as the woman looked at her briefly before stepping up to Akbar's side. She didn't hear any of her father's following words or the cheers of the full chamber. _'That...woman.' _ That one brief glance had told her everything she would ever need to know; danger. Those dangerous dark brown eyes had held promises of a fate worse than death should she cross the line that had yet to be drawn. 

Soon enough Akbar and the woman left the chamber, the entire place emptying out until it was only her alone. Still in shock, she sank to her knees beside her father's throne. Tears started to sting her eyes, tears for what could never be again; yet she refused to yield to them. Things would never be the same again; Caliph Akbar Ali Al-Faqir had taken a new wife. 

_Notes_   
[1] fortnight ~ an old saying roughly equivalent to two weeks 

Furor: Well...there's the opening chapter to my new ficcie...hope you're happy.   
Don't worry though, Hiiro will show up so please be patient.   
Hiiro: *leafs through crappy paper version* So this is what you're doing to me.   
Furor: Yup. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. *snickers* I just enjoy really torturing the others... Funny really....   
Hiiro: You have a weird sense of humor, you know that right?   
Furor: Yeah; but you seen my other equally crazy friends? I mean, there's Meghan and Jasmine, who I am writing this fic for   
Hiiro: *falls silent for a few minutes* Yasmine...is like you?   
Furor: *snickers* Don't worry. I'm sure she'll play nice with you too Hirro Yuy.   
Hiiro: *whips out gun and points it at Furor* Omae o korosu.   
Furor: Now Hiiro, that's not very nice of you. Am I going to have to call Jasmine? You'll meet her eventually...I was going to wait to do it...but if you're going to take this attitude...   
Hiiro: *gives Furor a glare worthy of Wufei before putting gun away and subsiding into mutters*   
Furor: You musta been taking lessons from Wu-bear there. Now that the first six chapters are done and I'm on seven, I think I'll get her input on that chapter.   
Hiiro: Nani?! *whips out gun again* Omae wo korosu!   
Furor: Man, you're pretty worked up for a perfect solider you know. 


	2. Two

Under Desert Skies 

A/N: Gomen that this chapter took so long to come out. So much crap has been happening in my life. I could call it 'A Thousand and One Ways to Piss off Your Mother and Get a Suspension of Computer Time' but that's not really important now is it? ^^ That said and done. . .I leave you to read and review. 

_Chapter 2_

The sun shone in merrily from the bright blue sky from the large entrance. _ 'Why do I have to be inside? I want to be outside and-'_

"Princess Yasmine!" the curtains were snapped shut by impatient hands. "You must pay attention to your lessons Princess!" 

Yasmine looked back at her irate tutor. "I am terribly sorry. I am simply having trouble concentrating today." 

"Princess," the man said with a sigh. "You must be diligent in your studies. I am sure your father will not be pleased to hear of your progress for the week so far. 

Yasmine's face darkened. _ 'He hasn't even seen me in the past three weeks much less scold me for anything.'_ "Yes I know. I shall do better. Please forgive my rudeness." she managed to get out as she held her tongue. 

"Very well then, since you are serious about your studies." the man turned back to the board and continued writing and talking. 

Yasmine turned to look at Fatima, who was quietly embroidering a piece of cloth with a needle. _ 'For all the years I have had a tutor she has always been working on that piece of cloth. I wonder what it could-'_

"Did you hear me Princess?" 

She looked back around to see her teacher's frown. "Yes I did." 

The man crossed his arms. 'Then what did I just say?" 

Yasmine glanced at Fatima to see her look at her from the corner of her eye with a smile. "You said that the regions to the Far East have not been explored in the last nine hundred years and no one knows what or who lives there." 

"Correct; what else did I say about them?" 

"That it is possible that the nomads live there, away from the civilized world." 

"Very good. You have been paying attention I see." he turned back to the board and lecturing. 

Yasmine rested her head between her hands as she tried to pay attention to the lesson and the droning voice. She looked back at the shut curtains longingly; how nice it would be to ride Rabi and have some fresh air instead of being cooped up inside for most of the time. She rolled her eyes, hearing her teacher start to ramble on about the nomad hordes. _ 'How can they call them hordes; they could say the same of us. They are people just like us too.'_ Even to this day she could remember that one time when her mother had taken her into the desert to meet her family. They had the same problems as the city people, the children still scampered underfoot and played while the adults talked, food for themselves and their animals, clean water, clothing . _ 'I wish there were others here for me to play with; then I wouldn't be so alone. I wish my cousin was here.'_ She could easily see him now; he was a rarity with his blond hair and fabled sea-coloured eyes. _ 'But I can never remember his name. I wonder if he remembers me too?'_

"Princess Yasmine!" 

Snapping out of her thoughts, Yasmine looked up to see her tutor's exasperated expression, her face going red; caught twice in one day for not paying attention. 

"We may as well end now. The hourglass is nearly empty and I shall have to teach you all of this again next day." the tutor said picking up his supplies and leaving promptly. 

"What preoccupies you Princess?" Fatima asked as she came over to Yasmine's side. 

"Fatima. . .have I displeased Father in any way?" 

"No, not at all. Don't forget that he has a new wife as well." 

"Oh yes. . .we cannot forget Isis now can we?" she said mockingly. "The new play toy needs attention." 

"Princess Yasmine!" Fatima said in a shocked and reprimanding voice. 

"It is the truth and you know it." she muttered. "Ever since Father has come back from Egypt, he has been closeted with that wench. I haven't spoken to him much less seen him in the past few weeks. This is the least I have ever seen of him in my life. It's like I have vanished to him." 

Princess," Fatima rested a hand on her shoulder. "You must give your father time to-" 

"Fatima do not give me that particular line. I know my father. The longest he leaves something to the side is three days. It has been three weeks Fatima. Three weeks; can you not tell me that that alone is peculiar for my father?" 

Fatima paused for few minutes. "It is rather strange of your father Princess." 

Yasmine gave a grumble of vindication. "That woman must be a witch to have and make him forget his own flesh and blood." 

"Don't speak such things Princess." Fatima hissed. "It is dangerous to utter such words with so many ears around." 

"I do not care. Let them hear and know that someone has the courage to speak up." she said tightly before she fell silent. 

"Very well then." Fatima sighed. "I shall leave you to your own company. When you want to talk again, you know where I'll be." 

Yasmine didn't say anything as Fatima walked away down the fork in the hallway. Brooding to herself now, she walked out to the garden, walking down the path to the trees at the end. She just wanted to sit in a particular one today. She looked down the avenue to see the majestic old tree at the end. . .and the gardeners around it with shovels. 

"what are you doing?" she demanded walking up to the men who shot up with fright. 

"We have orders Princess. O-Orders from. . ." the man's speech withered away with her glare. 

"This tree is mine and is not to be touched by anyone. Who gave these so called orders?" 

"The Caliph Akbar's wife I-I-Isis did Princess." the man managed to stutter out. 

"Do not touch that tree any further. If you do you will find yourselves in the dungeon for the night without dinner." 

Yasmine turned without waiting for an answer, heading back inside the palace. The black mood that had a tenuous grip n her before tightened like a vise, as she stalked closer and closer to Isis' chambers She had reached out a hand to shove open the door when it slowly opened by itself. She stepped away from the crack, the hairs on the back of her neck rising sharply; something was very off here. Steeling herself she went up to the door again and pushed it open a bit more, peering in carefully. The smoky interior greeted her, the fumes making her eyes sting slightly. Then she saw her father's figure seated cross legged on the floor. Opening the door a bit more, she walked in and crouched before him. 

"Father, it's Yasmine. Are you all right? Father. . .why won't you answer me?" 

She looked more carefully into his face to see the blankness in his eyes; it was as if he wasn't there at all. She shook him a bit to see if she could rouse him and still he sat there, unmoving and unresponsive. _ 'What has that witch done to him?'_ Her head snapped up at the sound of a slight rustle from the back. Giving her father one last forlorn look, she ducked behind the large screening curtain. 

"There and no one will be the wiser. Oh it was a brilliant plan of mine. But so much more is required of you my dear Akbar. That and your brat must be dealt with" 

Yasmine gritted her teeth at the sound of the laughter that followed the words. How she would have liked to cut out that witch's tongue herself. The sound of feet reached her before the door closed with a soft thud. The sound of cloth against the smooth floor could be heard as Isis walked to the opposite end. A shaft of light burst into the room making her pause to move the curtain aside slightly. There stood Isis alone on the balcony and looking around outside in her loose robes. 

"Why have you stopped with the task I have given you?" Isis' voice was shrill and insistent. "I want to see that hideous tree gone!! It blocks my view of the sky." 

"I told them to leave it." she said quietly as she walked out from behind the curtain. "Or did it trouble you that much?" 

Isis whipped around, a guarded expression in her eyes. "Oh, so you have some sort of attachment to it do you? It was that girl's wasn't it?" 

"You would do well to call her by her name woman." Yasmine retorted managing to not spit it out at her. 

Isis gave her a cool calculated look. "I know the desert whore's name. I suppose you would have me not touch it ever again, would you?" 

"If you value what you hold dear. I may be young but I can make things extremely difficult for you." 

"And it is shown by your tree saving exploit." Isis said in a clearly dismissive voice as she turned away. "Why don't you leave me for now and go play with-" 

"You do not have the right to dismiss me like that wench." Yasmine stood her ground when Isis turned back to look at her. "I am the senior here. You are new and should learn your place." 

Amusement flashed in Isis' eyes. "Really; well then let me tell you something; I have knowledge that you could not even begin to comprehend. You do not want to mess with me little girl. If you play with fire you get burned. " 

Yasmine met those ice glittering eyes. "Watch me." 

"How glad I shall be when I convince your dear father to marry you off to some lumbering lout. That is one less burden that I have to shoulder. Then I won't have to see that plain coarse desert face of yours skulking around like a lost puppy. Akbar is wrapped around my finger and there isn't a single thing you can do about it. Besides, I have no desire to raise some bitch's whelp." 

"I am a descendant of the desert people and I bear that heritage proudly; in this case here I see that as a definite advantage when compared to some whore from Egypt, who still be there plying her trade, however unsuccessfully." she narrowed her eyes, seeing her barb hit home. 

"One wrong move and I can have you removed for good." Isis crossed her arms with a sharp frown. 

Yasmine gave her a lofty, icy look. "You should know what the desert peoples are like, whore. We can disappear like sand flowing between your fingers when you believe you have us caught. I may have grown up in the city but you may find that I may be fairly hard to kill in any sort of fashion. Do not presume to think me a mere child. I can hunt and fight as well as the next man; you would do well to remember that whore." 

"I would wouldn't I?" Isis paused with a pensive look on her face. "May I be excused now Mistress?" 

Yasmine narrowed her eyes at the patronizing tone in Isis' voice before turning to leave. "You would do well to learn humility whore." she flung back before taking her leave. 

As soon as the door was closed, Yasmine went off to her rooms, feeling a sense of battle come over her. Walking up to a curtain she pulled the cord to reveal a wall with bows, arrows and every other sort of weapon. _ 'And every single one is here.'_ She pulled the cord again, letting the curtain fall back and went out to the balcony to think to herself; something warned her to sleep with an eye open and dagger under her pillow from then on. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wide stretches of sand interspersed with small shrubs stretched as far as the eye could see. Yasmine looked out from her headgear, eyes picking apart the shapes of dunes for any movement. _ 'I don't think there're any animals here.'_ She glanced back at the rest of the hunting party that was following up from behind, the large sedan slowing them down to a crawl. _ 'Damn whore.'_ She looked back out over the horizon, readjusting her bow and quiver. 

"Akbar, tell me of the animals again? I am trying so hard to fit in here. Why do you hunt?" 

Yasmine spurred Rabi onwards to escape the sickening insinuating voice. _ 'And the whore's whines are probably scaring the game away. Not that I blame them.'_

The sounds of two more horses reached her as Fatima and the Captain of the Hunt came up to ride with her. 

"Princess Yasmine, have you any ideas of where the animals may be. I keep telling the Caliph that they are to the south." 

Yasmine smiled over at the grizzled older man. "They are Ali; in a heat as this one, they would be closer to the river." 

"As I thought." he replied in a low voice. "With that woman's constant babbling it is extremely hard to hunt as the Caliph wishes to." 

Fatima chuckled at Yasmine's acerbic reply. "Oh how you two sound like old hunting buddies who have roamed these lands for fifty years and more." 

Ali gave her frown. "It is close to the truth. She couldn't have a better teacher than me and Lady Ailysha. She is her mother's daughter through and through. We have been hunting together since she was eight and she has been an admirable student. She's almost as good as me." 

"Yes Ali, almost; can you not admit that I am as good as you?" 

"Don't give me you r insolence now young one." he said with a laugh as he cuffed her ear lightly. "Just because you know the desert as well as me if not more, it doesn't mean you can talk to your teacher like that." 

"You are truly a grumpy old man Ali." she laughed as she reined Rabi to a stop. 

"Such blatant disrespect there; aren't you doing your job Fatima?" 

"I tell her but it is up to her to listen; she is her mother's child like you said. Perhaps that is our undoing." Fatima said with a smile. "I suppose you two are going to have us go south now?" 

"Yes." Ali said as he rode back and talked to the Caliph briefly. 

Yasmine turned, following up in the back with Fatima. "Mother did love the desert didn't she?" 

"Yes, she did." Fatima affirmed quietly. "And I see that it has been passed on to her only child." 

"At least she died under the open skies and not in some bed in the heart of the city. She died in the place she loved the most." 

"I know you still miss her, Princess Yasmine. But she would be proud of all that you have done so far. You have grown into a beautiful young woman." 

"Me? Beautiful? That is rather amusing Fatima. I have the same face I was born with." 

"No; you had the chubby face of a cherub when you were born. Now I see a face that could bewitch men if that was what you wanted to do." Fatima smiled. "Don't fret about Isis' opinion; when you finally meet the right person you will know." 

"I've never bother with the whore's opinion and I shall not start now." Yasmine said in a dismissive voice. "So tell me Fatima, what is that thing that you endlessly worked upon during my lessons for so many years?" 

"That? It is something for your wedding day Princess. And I have finally finished it. Lady Ailysha told me that you should have something of your people to wear when you are wed." 

"For my wedding day?" she repressed a laugh. "Maybe one day Fatima but certainly not now; I have enough to worry about as shown in my lessons. I can't even pay attention to the teacher." 

"You worry too much. Here; you can keep it until the day comes. I shall be pleased to see you in such a wonderful thing. It will truly make you the 'beautiful blushing bride'." 

Yasmine gave Fatima a look. "Perhaps you have been in the Western part of the market too much for your own good? You pick up their expressions more and more I notice. . .or did they have the best silk thread?" 

"The best thread. See what it is now." 

"Oh very well." she brought Rabi to a stop and took the tied package from Fatima and opened it. "Oh dear." she sighed seeing the large square filled with colours. Lifting it up, she was greeted by a large headscarf filled with geometric designs and flowing curls and waves . . . it was cloth filled with almost every shape she had ever seen. "It's very. . .pretty." she said after searching for a word. 

Fatima didn't say anything, only watching as Yasmine placed it in the pack slung on her side underneath her cloak. "Come now; we have fallen behind a bit. By now Ali must be at the river and setting up the tents for the Caliph and his wife." 

Yasmine didn't say anything as they trotted down to the riverbank that lay a few miles away, seeing the train arrive just as they did. The camp had been set up on the green riverside banks, a tiny oasis from the arid heat and sand that lay a few feet away. 

"Princess," Ali said coming up to her. "Your father shall be dining and then taking a brief rest. Shall you be-" 

"Yes I shall Ali. I shall come back and tell you where the good game is." she dismounted and gave him the reins. "I am far too restless to sit, dine and nap. I am going to try the south banks before I come north." 

"Very well then. Fatima, shall you be eating now as well?" 

"Yes. I have no desire to go tramping through plants and dirt to find some poor doomed animal." she gave a sigh and dismounted as well. "And you shall stay out of trouble or I shall not be pleased with you. I don't want to have to take measures again." 

Yasmine resisted the urge to smile. "Yes Fatima. I shall stay out of trouble." 

She gave Ali a knowing smirk before she headed down southwards. Every hunting excursion was the same with the banter between the three of them and then she would wander on her own for a bit. She walked down the riverside, admiring the scenery before her. It wasn't long before she came to the rocky patch in the path, making her pick her way over carefully. She paused for a minute, looking behind her to see absolutely nothing. _ 'It must be my imagination. I could use a break from all of this.'_ She jumped from one rock to another, landing with a jarring thud. One of the arrows from her quiver fell out to the ground to be caught by waiting hand. Yasmine whipped around to see the path behind her with no one on it. _ 'I must be losing my mind. I could have sworn someone was behind me. It felt like there was.'_ She gave the path a final sweep before she continued on, seeing the moving shapes of animals up ahead. Crouching down she let the grasses screen her as she surveyed the animals quickly and left before the wind could shift and carry her scent to them. 

"That was too easy. We can be finished here before the sun sets." she happily thought as she headed back to the camp. 

She started walking fast and broke into a sprint, wanting to be back and saddled to start the chase. Then from the others side of the river, she noticed two figures standing beside their mounts as they drank. 

"Strange." she paused, watching the figures curiously. "I though people only used the Lahars River to hunt or ship along. No one has ever done that before." 

One of the figures was stroking his horse's mane gently as he murmured to it, their long brown robes flapping gently in the wind. He was interesting enough with that strange brown hair that stuck straight out over his face but it was the other one with the hood pulled over slightly shielding his face from the glaring sun that really caught her attention. But the one thing she could see clearly were the blue of his eyes; it was like a blue she hadn't seen before. Deep and intense they pulled her in easily making her forget that she was on the riverbank; it seemed as if it was only her and him with nothing else. 

"Isis!" 

The echoing call broke through the strange reverie between them. They both looked towards the north where the call had come from. With a disgusted sigh, Yasmine started towards the camp, wondering what could be wrong now. _ 'Maybe the whore was eaten by a crocodile . . .poor creature didn't deserve such a tasteless meal.'_ She chuckled slightly at her amusing picturing of the scene before she looked back across the river to meet the stranger's gaze again. Her face flushed this time making her look away and continue on down the pat. _ 'You are very bold Yasmine; you do not even know who this is and you stare at him with such blatant. . .'_ She shook her head; even she wasn't sure of what she had felt at that moment. Continuing her sprint, she found the camp in an uproar with people walking all around frantically. 

"There you are!" Fatima exclaimed as she rushed up to her. "I have been searching for you since Isis went missing." 

"You know I went to find game. Is Father all right? Is anyone else missing?" Yasmine began looking around for other absent people. 

"No one else is; just Isis." Fatima paused. "The Caliph is far from pleased with this situation." 

"Yasmine!" Akbar roared as he left his tent. "Have you seen Isis?" 

She paused seeing the semi-cloudiness in his eyes; even after sleep they were never like that before. 

"Well? Have you?" he demanded again. 

"I was foraging for game Father. I have only returned and found out as of now." Yasmine said. "And no, I have not seen Isis." 

"Akbar!" 

Turning at the sound, Yasmine was greeted by the sight of a wet, bedraggled, bleeding Isis who limped back into camp. The sheer appearance of her condition had shocked her; what could have possibly happened to Isis? Had she been attacked by those two men she had just seen? _ 'I find that highly doubtful; let's see what the whore has to say first.'_

Akbar was by Isis' side in a second catching her before she fell to the ground. "What happened Isis?" 

"Oh Akbar!" she cried breaking down and sobbing into his shirt. "It was awful. I was taking a walk by the riverside to enjoy some quiet and then. . .and then. . ." she trailed off into fresh series of sobs. 

Yasmine refrained from rolling here eyes at the obvious theatrics being displayed. _ 'The tentacles this whore has is amazing and highly revolting.'_ Just from glancing at Ali and Fatima, she could see the same conclusion in their eyes. 

"What happened Isis?" Akbar asked again. 

"I was attacked. Someone shot me before pushing me into the river. It was horrible, the crocodile almost got me and. . ." she broke off again before managing once more. "I tried to be nice Akbar. . .but. . .but. . ." she trailed off, unable to continue. 

"It's all right. You're safe now. I will not tolerate this kind of action from anyone. It is tantamount to treason and sufferable by death. Simply tell me the name of your attacker and they shall die." 

"No Akbar, you must be merciful. You mustn't do that; it is-" 

"Tell me who it is so they may suffer their just reward for such an action." 

"It was. . .it was Yasmine!" 

Yasmine stood there in disbelief watching as Isis fell into more voluble sobs. "Father. . .surely you cannot believe this. . .can you?" 

Akbar looked at her, the cloudiness in his eyes lifting slightly. "You went south to search for game? And you went alone?" 

"That is my custom Father." she said with a bowed head. When she hazarded a glance up, she saw the haze lift a bit more. _ 'I'm reaching him.'_

"Yasmine. . ." he began in the voice she had heard all her life; it was so welcome from the harsh tone he used with her lately. 

"Akbar. . .when I came out of the river, I found this lodged in my leg. I managed to pull it out and. . ." she held up the proffered arrow with a trembling grasp. 

Akbar's hand closed around the arrow that had lain underneath Isis' leg as he gazed at the red and black feathers on the end of the dart. "Can you deny that this isn't your arrow Yasmine? Can you?" 

Yasmine winced slightly at the harsh tone that had made its way back into his voice completely. "No." she stated simply. 

"Captain Ali," Akbar said, the lines of his face going rigid. "Strip her of her weapons." 

Ali started forwards slowly, unsure of following the command that was just given to him 

With a resigned sigh, Yasmine took off the bow and quiver, holding them out to Ali. "You may as well get the rope now Ali." she murmured so only he could hear. 

"Tie her up; we head back to the city now." Akbar said as he helped Isis rise. 

"Caliph?" Fatima asked quietly as she approached him humbly. "Where shall the Princess ride?" 

"I have no daughter." he replied tersely as he saw Isis in her sedan. "The prisoner can follow up in the back with the servants." 

Everything was packed and ready to go in a few minutes, leaving Yasmine to walk along in the back, hands tied together and led like a dog. _ 'Clever trap whore.'_ She looked up at the sun before fixing her attention back to not stumbling and falling on the road; she was certain that they would not stop and being dragged was a less than pleasant thought. _ 'But you have only lit the embers. The true fire has yet to come.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Furor: And what shall happen next? Hehe. . .I shall leave that to you the reader's imagination.   
Heero: I thought I was going to be in this.   
Furor: You were. . .for a brief five seconds. *pulls out a walkie-talkie* Jasmine. . .contact has been established. I repeat contact has been established.   
Jasmine: *with a static filled background* Roger. Over and out.   
Heero: What chapter are you on? *looks at Furor warily*   
Furor: *hides walkie talkie* Chapter Three in typing. . .uh. . .Chapter six or seven in paper. *grins suddenly* Didn't Duo, Wufei, Quatre or Trowa warn you about me?   
Heero: I had a mission. *pauses for a minute* Besides I have no reason to fear you. You are not a threat.   
Furor: Heh. . .that's right. Not a threat. . .*mutters* not yet anyways.   
Heero: What are you talking about now?   
Furor: Nothing! Now if you'll excuse me I hafta go and talk to Jasmine now. Plot and stuff like that.   
Heero: Perhaps you are a crazy woman.   
Furor: Wow. . .I never thought this day would come; Heero Yuy compliments me. Arigatou Heero *bounces away to talk to Jasmine*   
Heero: O.o She IS crazy. 


	3. Three

Under Desert Skies 

A/N: 

_Chapter 3_

Wearily opening her eyes, the same sight of the past week had greeted her; the dank darkness, the slow constant drip of liquid from somewhere into a puddle that gleamed a few feet away and the quiet rustlings here and there of rats. 

"Day four." she mumbled as she picked up the sharp edged stone and made another scratch alongside the other three on the wall. 

Sighing she sat back down in her relatively clean area, hands dangling from the manacles as she thought. _ 'I have been disowned by my father and condemned to a public beheading for a crime I did not commit.'_ She banged her head against the stone wall gently as her mind wandered. _ 'Damn whore.'_ She gave her chains a futile yank before chuckling to herself. 

"This reminds me of the time Mother had to chain me to my bed to get me to stay put." she murmured with a nostalgic smile. "I never was one for confinement. . .and look at me now; so close to escaping and yet so very very far." she looked down to see the bulge of her pack beneath her now grungy cloak; all her lock picking tools were in there, just beyond her grasp. _ 'My only chance to escape is to knock out the guards when they come to take me away and run from there. It is better to die with a fight than meekly.'_

The faint jingle of keys made her look up to see the guards through the small barred window. Once the sound of the lock opening came, the door swung open to show Fatima walking in with a bundle in her hands. 

"How are you Princess?" she asked quietly with a smile. 

"Fine." she shrugged making her chains rattle a bit. "Barring a bit of hunger of course; it is not as if I am going anywhere in the near future. Not anywhere except to my freedom." 

Fatima gave a small smile. "As I thought you would have reached that particular course of action I have made arrangements with Ali. I have brought you some things that you will need." 

Yasmine looked her over more carefully. "You do seem to have put on a bit more weight; surely you cannot have eaten that much for the time I have been down here." 

"Hush now and eat. You still have you pack with you? Good." she moved seeing Yasmine nod her head. "I shall release you from these chains. Then you shall eat and leave." 

Yasmine remained silent as Fatima made short work of the restraints. Once the iron sprang free she rubbed her chafed wrists before taking the package Fatima brought for her. "What is it that you have brought me Fatima?" she asked sating herself on the ground. 

"Some bread and fresh cheese; I did not want them to find something of great significance missing." Fatima paused for a minute, moving around before taking a large bundle out from underneath the folds of her robe. "Here is all of your things Princess; I felt that you would have need of them." 

Yasmine paused in mid-chew to swallow hastily and take the bundle from her. "I now see how you lose weight so fast. You should stop carrying around such things all the time Fatima." 

"Don't joke so; the only reason why I am in here with you now is because the guards outside have compassion for you. They remember that you were a gentle child and believe you incapable of the act that you are to die for." 

"Then I am sorry for what I shall have to do to them." Yasmine finished off her food quickly before she rose. "All my weapons are in here?" 

"All of them Princess; I know how much you are attached to them." she paused, removing her old cloak to replace it with the one Fatima had brought, clasping it with the ornate brooch of Ailysha's. "I am ready to go now Fatima. Call the guard in here somehow and leave the rest to me." 

Fatima nodded her head and walked back to the door slowly. Yasmine looked around to see a small ledge by a column close to the door. Running up to it, she vaulted herself up and melted back into the shadows, watching. 

"Please, the Princess says that her stomach hurts terribly. You have to come and see for yourselves." Fatima's voice echoed around her hiding spot, making her peer down to see Fatima at the door and talking even more. 

"It's probably last minute nerves. . .the poor Princess." the sound of the door opening came now. "She just needs some water and-" 

Yasmine waited until they both had walked into the room and jumped down on the, knocking them to the floor. 

"Ouch!" the one man sat up rubbing his head. "What in Allah's name was that?" 

"Yeesh, felt like someone dropped a bucketful of rocks on my head." the other man looked back just in time to see Yasmine's fist coming towards his face. 

"Run Fatima!" Yasmine said, seeing that the men weren't going to be easily knocked out. She reeled back to deliver a punch. 

"Little Princess, you do have an audacity that I never thought I would see again." the man chuckled catching her fist in his hand. "Fatima, you did an admirable job raising her." 

Fatima looked between the two men with a wary puzzled expression. "You. . .aren't going to throw her back in there?" 

"No!" the man who rubbed his head stood up. "We could never do that to our own kin." 

"Kin?" Yasmine looked around completely puzzled. "What are you talking about?" 

"I am Ahmed. Ailysha's brother and your uncle." he gave her a small bow. 

"And I am Jafar. Ailysha's other brother and your other uncle." the other man rose. "We were going to take you away from here then Fatima showed up; we thought it best to wait until she was gone. One does not know who to trust in the palace anymore." 

Fatima placed herself between Yasmine and the two men. "You can easily claim that. How do I know that you are not making this up?!" 

Jafar laughed. "We came here with Ailysha when she married Akbar and then left. She called us back when Yasmine here was born and asked us to stay as her bodyguards. If you recall Princess, we have been around whether you noticed it or not all throughout your life." 

Yasmine paused thinking; that was the truth. They had been around for as long as she could remember back; she just never thought anything of it. "Why did you not say anything before?" 

"Ailysha figured you'd try to get us to take you out into the desert before you were ready. And she was right if I remember correctly." Ahmed chuckled. "Trying to go off on your own was not the most brilliant idea was it?" 

"I remember Ailysha speaking of you two troublemakers. And now that you have a nice family surprise and reunion I suggest you get Yasmine out of here!" Fatima said in a less than pleased voice. 

"How did you tolerate this woman little Princess? Does she nag that much all the time?" Jafar whispered at her, earning himself a smack from Fatima. 

"But she is right." Yasmine said. "I have no choice but to trust you two and hope for the best. Come let us all leave now." 

"We only have an hour before the next guard change comes." Ahmed said peering out of the door. "Come on, hurry out." 

Yasmine shook her head to clear it and followed him and Jafar out, walking down the hall. She hadn't made it a few steps before the sound of a door thudding shut reached her. Stopping she looked back to see Fatima still in the cell. 

"Fatima, what are you doing?" she tried to pull the door open to find that it wouldn't budge. "You are coming with us so open the door right now." she tugged again on the handle. 

"I would only slow you down Princess. Ali is waiting for you by the eastern gate into the city. Go and leave now while you have time." 

"I am not leaving you! Open this door and come out now, I command you too!" Yasmine said, fighting back the tears of anger and sorrow. 

"I did swear to Allah to obey you but I can't do that anymore, may Allah forgive me." Fatima said with a bowed head. 

"Fatima, please do not do this. Do not do this to me. Please. . .just open the door and come with us." 

"Jafar. . .Ahmed. . .I entrust her into your care now. Make sure that she arrives there safely." Fatima said before walking away from the door. 

"Fatima, open the door. Open the door!" Yasmine tugged frantically on the handle. 

"Come little Princess." Jafar said removing her hand from the door. "Fatima is doing what she can to help us; do not let her efforts be in vain." 

Yasmine pushed him away and continued tugging on the door, refusing to give up. Jafar and Ahmed gave a sigh, taking her by the arms and dragging her away. 

"No! Stop! We cannot leave here there to die!" Yasmine said to them. 

Finally frustrated, Ahmed pulled her up and looked at her. "Your concern for Fatima is admirable. But she has made her choice. Would she have changed her mind?" 

"No, she would not have." Yasmine managed, the tears starting to slide down against her will. 

Ahmed wiped the tear away. "Then do not make this any harder on her and yourself. Stand up tall and walk out of here to your freedom she sacrificed herself for." 

Yasmine nodded her head and held back the rest of her tears. "Let us go then. I want to be out of here soon." 

Jafar patted her shoulder comfortingly before they continued to steal out of the palace. They made it as far as the gardens before Yasmine paused and raced towards the end of the avenue. Breathless she stood before the old tree, eyes closed as her hand splayed against it. _ 'Always stand here. Always stand for the ones who cared for me and have and will sacrifice for me.'_ A sensation of warmth rushed out of her and into that weathered trunk causing her to open her eyes. The last of a faint red glow dissipated away, making her back down the avenue slowly. She turned around to see Ahmed and Jafar. 

"Did you just-" she began. 

"Let us go to the eastern gate. We need all the time we can get little Princess." Jafar said. 

They rushed through the gardens to the gate seeing Ali there with four mounts saddled and waiting. _ 'He knew?'_ Yasmine looked at him curiously as she got on Rabi. 

"Here is your quiver and bow." Ali said handing it to her. "And yes, I knew of them. We organized your training exercises." 

She shook her head. "Is there anything else that the three of you are keeping from me?" 

"Just one other thing, but that has to wait Yasmine." Ahmed said with a smile. "Now pull the cowl of your cloak up and let Ali do the talking when we get to the gate." 

Pulling the cowl over to shield her face completely, she followed them as the guards at the gate came closer. She listened to the brief conversation with little interest, feeling the anxiety lift slightly as they walked out of the palace. The soft clip-clop of hooves was the only noise on the street, softening into a dull thud as they reached the city outskirts. Yasmine reined Rabi around looking at the serene city before she started to head back. Ali darted in front of her, looking at her. 

Yasmine shook her head, seeing the tirade that was about to come. "I cannot let her go to her death with everyone mocking and jeering at her Ali. She should not be alone when her hour comes. . .she should-" 

Ali nodded. "Jafar, take my horse; we shall be back afterwards." dismounting, he swung up onto Rabi's back, making the horse snort irritably with the new passenger. "Don't know how you can ride this horse sometimes Princess; she can be so wild." 

"And that's why I like her." Yasmine replied easily before spurring Rabi into a run and thundered back towards the city. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The press of the marketplace was larger than usual today, jostling around Yasmine and Ali. Shielding her with his body, he led her through the crowd and up a decrepit flight. He didn't say anything as he helped her over the rotting wood beams and pits in the steps. After navigating their way through, they reached the roof. It was littered with old furniture and more wood beams. Ali motioned her to the far edge, screened by a piece of wood with cloth still attached to it. Seating herself by his side, they didn't speak once more, simply waiting for the moment to come. 

After what seemed like forever, the crowd roared with the palpable sound of bloodlust. Yasmine rose and stood by the curtain edge, a set stoic expression on her face; she could cry later when this was all over with. The cart came through the thick throngs, carving a path of its own, and the cage in the middle being shoved around. Yasmine's fist clenched tightly involuntarily seeing Fatima in it, struggling to maintain her balance. The slurs and taunts flew thick and fast as the cart approached the executioner's block. _ 'I should have broken down the accursed door.'_ A motion beside her spoke of Ali finally rising to see what was going to happen. 

The cart came to a stop, Fatima being shoved out roughly. A hush fell over the crowd as the charges and punishment was read aloud, informing the city of Fatima's 'wicked and devious' ways. Yasmine watched as Fatima faced the crowd serenely, her eyes looking down on the faces of anger and ignorance before they shifted up scanning the sky. 

Fatima stiffened visibly when her eyes met Yasmine's across the distance. _ 'You shouldn't have come Princess.'_

With a sad smile, Yasmine brought her hand to her heart and bowed her head._ 'How could I not?'_ Looking back up, she could see the tears glittering in Fatima's eyes as she shook her head. _ 'You have always been there for me and I shall not abandon you when you need me most.'_

_ 'Thank you Princess.'_ Fatima bowed her head and didn't look back up until she was led to the block and her neck rested against it. _ 'May Allah go with you.'_

Yasmine nodded her head slightly. _ 'And also with you.'_

The silence turned eerie as Fatima looked and bent down at the wood before her face, the axe coming down to touch her neck once. Yasmine steeled herself when the axe touched Fatima's neck for the second time and raised up for the third and final time, the sun winking off of the sharp edge of the axe. It was all over in a few seconds, the final thud in the wood, drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Yasmine turned away when the executioner held up the bloody prize, making the noise of the crowd increase. 

"Princess?" Ali asked in a hesitant voice. 

Yasmine didn't reply at all, continuing down the steps. 

With a heavy sigh, Ali followed her down. "May Allah help them; they murdered two angels today." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Furor: Well. . .I hope none of you got to attached to Fatima there. She was nice and all but. . .it just worked out that way.   
Heero: Heh. . .at least you didn't steal my phrase again.   
Furor: Omae wo korosu?   
Heero: Hn. Maybe I should sic Relena on you.   
Jasmine: *pops into room* Oh God, not that dumb blonde. I have nothing against blonds though; she just really pisses me off. You know she reads your mail Heero?   
Heero: Nani?!   
Furor: Yeah. . .Heero meet Jasmine. Jasmine, Heero.   
Heero: Hn. Relena reads my mail?   
Jasmine: Yup yup. I think she is stalking you if you ask me. I mean she needs a life besides following you around.   
Heero: You wouldn't follow me around?   
Furor and Jasmine: O.o   
Jasmine: Hell no! I have a life unlike her. Yeesh, I say she needs some therapy or whatnot. It's not healthy, that obsession she has with you.   
Heero: Finally a sane woman. Relena does have issues.   
Furor: Ha! Have you seen Dorothy? Maybe living in a place that demands power as the absolute messed her up as a kid, I don't know. And those eyebrows of hers. . .dear God. . .you could stab someone with those things!   
Jasmine: You know!! And then- *stops hearing noises from a closet* Wait a minute *goes and opens it*   
*Rest of the Gundam guys come crashing out*   
Furor: What the fuck? What are you guys doing in my closet?!   
Duo: You've been neglecting us ya know! *looks indignant*   
Wufei: *smacks Duo upside the head* Shut up baka. Don't make her start writing that other stuff again. She scarred Quatre. He won't take anything with lemons.   
Trowa: What are you talk about?   
Jasmine: Bashing Dorothy and Relena. Wanna join with?   
*rest of the guys look at each other before sitting down and joining the discussion* 


	4. Four

Under Desert Skies 

_Chapter 4 _

The sound of rocks falling echoed up the stony ravine, following the midday swelter as Yasmine looked over at Ali, Jafar and Ahmed before pillowing her head against the rock wall. The bright blue sliver of sky looked so peaceful now masking the dangerous heat of the desert sun. The quiet sounds of conversation swelled around them, making her start to nod off slowly. She felt exhausted from so long in the saddle that she just had to close her eyes, even for a few moments. 

"Princess. Princess, it is time for you to wake now." 

She opened her eyes startled. "I only slept for a few minutes Ali. Let me sleep a bit more please." 

"Try all day little Princess." Jafar chuckled as the sound of a fire crackling reached her. "We have dinner ready if you care to eat at all." 

Rubbing her eyes, Yasmine looked up the crevice to be greeted by the dark spread of stars above her. "I slept the entire day? Why did you not wake me as soon as the sun set; we could have been on our way by now." she pushed the deep cowl of her cloak back a bit. 

"Better to eat first than have the Caliph's men find us by our rumbling stomachs." Ahmed quipped from the fire as he turned a spit. "The hare is almost done so come and eat with us Yasmine. Then we shall be on our way." 

With a yawn she came and sat by the warmth of the fire, looking down to see Rabi feeding with the other horses on the tough scrubs on the ravine bottom. Shaking her head to clear it, she turned her attention back to the fire, feeling her mouth water slightly. All this fleeing had worked up quite an appetite. Companionable silence descended around once the food was passed around after a hasty grace. She made short work of the meat, slicing it up easily with her borrowed dagger. With a content sigh she sank back patting her stomach. 

"I take it you enjoyed your meal Princess?" 

"Yes I did Ali, it was..." she began looking up at him but fell silent, seeing yet not seeing Ali. 

"Princess...what is it?" 

She didn't reply, her jaw hanging slack at the horror of what she was seeing. Ali was still looking at her but he wasn't the grizzled weather beaten man that she recognized. The Ali who sat before her was a broken old man, body decrepit, thin, bony and broken. The lips had pulled back in sharply, the soft roundness of gums betraying the loss of teeth. 

"Little Princess, what is wrong?" 

Her gaze whipped around to see Jafar...or rather what was left of him. His throat lay open, slit like the belly of a fish, from end to end. Skin and flesh hung off of the rest of him in thin bloodied strips, his face and body scraped raw down to the pale gleaming bones. She scampered back looking around frantically; what was going on? 

"Yasmine, talk to us; what has disturbed you?" 

Trembling she turned to see the hand on her arm, the broken hand with fingers splayed out like stiff boards. She looked up into Ahmed's face to see the empty holes where his expressive brown eyes had been. The head cocked to the side once with what was to be a puzzled expression. 

"Princess, answer me!" 

She closed her eyes and shook her head, backing closer to the wall what was happening here, why was she seeing this like that? Fearfully she opened her eyes again to see everyone looking at her curiously; they all looked like they had a few seconds ago. She blinked rapidly, confusion descending over her completely. 

"Are you all right little Princess?" Jafar asked, looking into her face. "You do not appear to be ill." 

"I-I'm fine Jafar. I simply need sleep. What town are we heading to?" 

"Abu Khali." Ahmed replied outing the fire with handfuls of dirt. "It is not far so we should reach there before dawn." 

"Very well then." she rose from her spot, dusting off her pants. "Shall we get moving then?" 

Ali looked at her before nodding his head. "May I talk to you for a moment Princess?" 

She bobbed her head as she jumped down off of the small ledge and headed towards Rabi. "Is something troubling you Ali?" 

"I should be asking you that. Are you sure that you are-" 

"I am fine Ali. I thank you for your concern. I simply need to rest and once we finally are far enough I can do that in relative peace." Yasmine quickly saddled Rabi. "I do apologize for cutting you off so Ali. I need more sleep than I am letting on." 

"It's all right Princess. You do look as if you could use some sleep." Ali replied as he saddled his horse. "When we reach Abu Khali, my friend, Ioudas, will give us temporary shelter; for the day at least." 

"We all could use some sleep." Jafar mused aloud. "But onwards we go. We must make haste if we are to reach the town before dawn." 

"So, if you do not mind Yasmine, shall we start?" Ahmed looked at her with a grin. "Or do you prefer the ravine?" 

"You are looking to get yourself into trouble Ahmed." she snorted as she spurred Rabi into a brisk trot. 

They all chuckled as Yasmine lead the small party out of the ravine bed and into the desert. The faint path was littered by small pebbles forcing them to walk their horses slowly. Endless stretches of scrub topped dunes paraded past them in their silent journey, the soft echoing of the hooves' clip-clop numbing the distance. 

"Where are we going after Abu Khali Jafar?" Yasmine asked quietly. 

"We are going to an oasis deep in the desert. We will have a rest, water our horses well, get our bearings and head out from there." Jafar looked over at her. "Do not tell me that you wanted to shop in Abu Khali, little Princess." 

Ali chuckled at the look Yasmine shot him. "I think you have insulted the Princess now." 

"I should say so." Yasmine replied rather huffily. "I do not shop like that. Only when necessary; and I certainly wouldn't need the help of men to get what I need." 

Ahmed coughed politely, covering up his laughter. "Your point is duly noted Yasmine. I believe that Abu Khali is just up ahead. I shall go on and make sure there is somewhere we can stay for the day." 

She scowled at Jafar as he mumbled about helping Ahmed and took off with him towards the horizon. "So it is to the desert we go?" she looked over at Ali. 

"Yes. This oasis he speaks of, I do not know it. As far as I know there are a few oases in this desert, but none in the interior." Ali frowned. "I just hope we reach it with no problems if it truly does exist." 

"We shall Ali. You should try to see the good in situations such as these." 

"I know your words are intended to inspire. But in circumstances as these, you must always expect the worst so you are not caught off guard." 

Yasmine smiled with a faint laugh. "How many times did you drive that into my head? I still think that one should see the good as well as the bed. Focusing only on the negative can affect how you perceive things." 

Ali didn't say anything, simply making a non-committal noise in the back of his throat. Yasmine watched him for a few minutes before looking back to the road ahead; she had upset him with her words yet now wasn't the time for her to be swallowing her words. She would make up for her unwittingly harsh words later. The simple dwellings of Abu Khali rose up to greet them as they trotted into the city slowly. Even as she cast her gaze around something seemed terribly off to her; she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She stole a glance at Ali, seeing the same cautiousness in his expression. 

"It would seem that Ahmed and Jafar have become lost here. Shall you be all right if I leave you to search for them quickly?" Ali asked, bringing his horse to a rein close to hers. 

"I will search also. It would make things a lot faster." Yasmine stilled Rabi's anxious dancing. "I know you do not like the idea but it would be best to move with speed so we are out of eyes' reach." 

Ali nodded his head before starting his mount down an alleyway. "Be wary Princess." 

Yasmine nodded at his words, watching as he disappeared into the shrinking shadows before she went down the opposite alley. She watched the shadows carefully as she looked for the familiar dun and brown horses of Ahmed and Jafar. _'I know you two are here; where are you? And why would you be hiding from Ali and me?'_ Yasmine paused as the alley turned sharply to the right, veiled in pitch black. _'I am heading back. Something is terribly wrong here...'_ Wheeling Rabi around sharply, she quickly made her way back down the alley to where she had talked to Ali last. 

"How nice of you to join us Princess..." 

Yasmine stiffened in her saddle at the sound of the mocking voice. The scarred and grizzly face that sneered up at her was not one she recognized; neither was the husky figure that followed the rough face familiar. "I am afraid that you have mistaken me for someone else." she started Rabi forward only to see the road bristle suddenly with armed men. Rabi reared up sharply, hooves slashing air. 

"I am sure that I see Princess Yasmine before me. A traitor to the Caliph must pay for her treason." 

Yasmine's face stiffened as she brought Rabi under control. "I will not die for a crime I did not commit." she replied evenly. "Let me pass and all shall be well between us." 

"That's not possible Princess." the beefy hand disappeared behind the broken stall and dragged out Jafar. 

"Jafar!!" she started forward, seeing him hang limply from the hand by his cloak. He was beaten badly, the bruises starting to purple his face darkly. "Unhand him this instant!" 

"That can't quite happen." the man gave a sadistic grin. "All you have to do is come back with us and they shall be spared." 

"They?" she swallowed hard, a feeling in the pit of her stomach sinking deeper. "Who are they?" 

The man simply smiled again as he motioned with his other hand. Yasmine started with a repressed gasp as Ahmed and Ali's prone bodies were brought out, bound, gagged and blindfolded, before they were flung down before her causing them to stir slightly and look around blindly. 

"What ever they demand Yasmine, refuse it!" Ahmed yelled towards the destroyed stall, earning himself a few kicks in the gut. 

"Stop it!" she said in a tight voice; the anger inside was coiling now, slowly but surely. 

"Forget us Princess! Run and save yourself!" Ali cried out as he managed to lurch to his feet suddenly and tackle one of the men to the ground. 

"Stop it now," she yelled as they started pummeling Ali. "You shall kill him if you continue!" 

"True. And they do still have their uses. More than this one here I would say. My Master will be pleased to know that this went off so smoothly," 

Yasmine fought down the bitter bile that rose in the back of her throat. "And what shall happen to them if I come peacefully?" 

"They shall live." the man replied easily. "Is that your choice?" 

With a heavy sigh, Yasmine vaulted herself off of Rabi and stood beside her horse quietly. "I shall come without a fight." 

"As I expected; you should have fled when you had the chance Princess. You wouldn't and couldn't survive a day on your own though. Bind her arms behind her back securely." the man ordered. "You are too full of nobleness and ideals Princess; your downfalls if you will." 

Yasmine closed her eyes as the rough rope was tied tightly around her wrists. _'What a way to end...no honour in this at all.'_

"Now that we have her," the man said, drawing a blade as he hoisted Jafar up. "We certainly don't have any room for this extra baggage." 

"No!" Yasmine fought against her captors as she saw the blade go for Jafar's throat. "No you cannot!! You said that he would live! You gave our word; has it no honour?" 

The man didn't reply, simply smirking. 

"No!!" Yasmine fought against the blindfold as they struggled to put it on. The last thing she saw was the bright slashing motion of steel followed by the bright red line before darkness descended. "No! Jafar!!" 

"Take her horse. It's an Andalusian and we can sell it when we arrive back at the city. The money this fine beast will fetch will have many helpful uses. " 

Yasmine struggled against her captors as she was slung on the back of an animal, most likely a horse, and her ankles tied roughly. Two more bundles were slapped down beside her, as she tried to look back in vain; she could hear Rabi's wild whinnies as she fought against the men who yanked on her reins. 

"Let her go this instant!!" she yelled back in blind vain. "Let her-" 

She slumped against the haunches of the animal as a bludgeon connected with her temple and knocked her out cold. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Get up." the unkind words were followed by a boot to the stomach. "Your food is here. Don't even know why we're feeding you four at all." 

Yasmine looked around groggily as the blindfold was finally ripped off, allowing her eyes to adjust to the flickering light of the campsite. Blurry figures sharpened as her eyes focused; Ali and Ahmed sat there, a dark expression on Ahmed's face, and to the right lay Jafar's motionless figure. Once the bonds were loosened enough for her to eat, she scrambled to Jafar's side, knocking over her bowl of thin watery liquid. 

"Jafar," she turned him over, peering into his face. "Please do not be dead." 

"If you had just fled, all of this would have been a lot easier." came his thick slow groan as he opened his eyes slowly. "But I am glad to see that you are safe little Princess." 

Yasmine hugged him gratefully. "And let them slit your throat like a thief's? What kind of person do you take me for Jafar?" 

He smiled at her, breathing slowly as he closed his eyes again. 

"Jafar needs rest as well as attention to his wound." Ahmed said quietly before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "And as soon as we get out of here, the better for all of us. They are at most two days away from the city; I recognize this part of the desert." 

Yasmine didn't reply, looking back at Jafar; a thin red line was on his throat where the tip of the dagger had scored his skin. It gave off a faint sickly odour while the red was still as vivid as when it was cut. 

"How long have we been traveling for?" she asked in a whisper looking back at Ali and Ahmed. 

"Two days now. They pushed a fast pace and had me lead them." Ali replied in a monotone. 

_'Two days...'_ She looked back down at Jafar who lay there, still bound. "Guard! Come here at once!" 

The guard flicked her a brief dismissive glance before turning away. 

Gritting her teeth with rage, Yasmine rose to her feet. "Did you not hear me, you bumbling fool? I ordered you to come here. He needs attention and I will require certain things." 

The guard sidled up to her as Ali and Ahmed rose and hovered behind her defensively. "And what may I ask, will the Princess be requiring?" he asked in a saccharine voice. 

"Hot water, bandages, herbs and-" 

A glob of spit went flying into the air and landed on her face, making her stop abruptly as she flicked it off rapidly. Ahmed launched himself with a growl at the guard, landing a solid punch in the gut. The guard smirked down at him before backhanding him sharply and sending him to the ground. Ali raised Ahmed up with his bound hands, talking to him in low mutters as he helped him back to the tiny fire they had been given. 

"You have plenty of impudence; I should have beaten it out of you at Abu Khali, you little bitch." 

Yasmine steeled herself as the guard raised his hand high. 

"Hamza!" 

Everyone looked up to see a figure silhouetted in the lone tent at the end of the encampment by the light from within. A brief motion could barely be seen as a shadow scurried up to the figure and bowed before coming their way. The flickering light of the encampment returned now as the tent flap was closed and activity returned. Yasmine watched as the figure came closer to them, scowling at the guard. 

"I believe that Master Ioudas said that she is to be unharmed Hamza." the man said in a prim and curt voice. 

"Be quiet Faizel; you're nothing more than a lap dog." Hamza growled as he lowered his hand with reluctance. "What does Master Ioudas want?" 

The sound of spit against he ground came now followed by a contemptuous snort. "Ioudas...the deceitful snake." 

Yasmine looked back to see Ali with a dark expression on his face. She turned, looking curiously at him; never before had she seen such an extreme of emotion from him. Hesitantly, she took a step forwards to him when Faizel's voice stopped her. 

"Yasmine, Master Ioudas requests your presence." 

"Tell him his request is denied." she replied before heading back to her spot beside Jafar and looking over his newly festering wound; she didn't like the look of it one bit. 

"Yasmine, Master Ioudas requests your presence." 

Yasmine stiffened at the cold touch of steel at her pulse before she craned her neck up to see Hamza's malicious grin. She rose silently, motioning for Ali to stay where he was and tend for the others. The walk down to the tent at the end seemed painfully slow, Hamza's prodding with the butt of his dagger not helping much. Once she reached the end, Hamza pushed back the flap and shoved her in roughly. She stumbled to the ground, expecting sand to fill her mouth and eyes. Only the softness of plush carpet greeted her as she looked around carefully; the deceptive tent masked a large interior. And there in the middle was a large cushion, a slender man seated on the top, his black hair free from the headdress that lay by his side. 

"You must be Yasmine. You grace me with your mere presence and beauty." he said in a soft baritone. "Please, have a seat." he gestured to a cushion beside him. 

"That is Princess Yasmine to you." she said in a low voice. 

"Ah Yasmine," he rose gracefully and approached her. "Those you cannot claim anymore now can you? The harsh titles of traitor, disowned and condemned are the ones open to you now." 

She didn't respond as Ioudas came in closer; when she had heard Ali mention him briefly almost three days ago, she had thought he would be a much older man and not the young one who was circling her now with an almost predatory gaze that made her feel nervous. _'Keep your wits about you Yasmine. This is the chance you have been waiting for,'_ She returned Ioudas' sudden smile easily. _'Make him believe; then. . .'_

"Will you not sit Yasmine; I am sure you're very weary for such an arduous day." 

Yasmine simply widened her smile and took his proffered arm and sat down beside him. _'I feel so cheap for doing this; it must be done however; Jafar has to make it out of here.'_ She pretended to look around curiously as Ioudas watched her for a few minutes, face pensive as he untied the rope around her wrists. 

"Yasmine, I have a proposition for you." he said finally. "I am afraid though that I can't word this any other way for it has been on my mind constantly for these past few days." 

"Speak Master Ioudas; I shall listen." she said in a gentle voice and an even sweeter smile. _'And he's eating this right out of the palm of my hand now. . .I cannot believe that he is doing this. . or me.'_

"Come with me Yasmine. I can protect you from the ones who hunt you and will until you die." he took her hand in his suddenly and held it to him like a precious jewel. "I can take you away from all of it." 

"Master Ioudas," she lowered her gaze; that zealous glaze over his eyes made her even more uneasy. "You asked me something completely different from what you said you were going to say. . .unless, you are offering to take me away from this and save me from my horrible tragic fate." 

"Yes, that is what I am offering you!" he exclaimed, clutching her hand closer. "Come with me Yasmine!" 

_'So you can have a cook and wench at your disposal for as long as you wish until you tire of me. I am ending this now.'_ She smiled up at him. "Master Ioudas," she paused as she forced a blush to her cheeks. "I...I. . ." 

"Oh my most benevolent Yasmine!" Ioudas crushed her to him in ecstatic joy. "You shall come with me as I had hoped. This is the start of-" 

Yasmine raised her hand and hit him in the back of the neck hard. Ioudas' hold around her loosened as he slid to the ground like a sack of meal. _'Ugh; good riddance.'_ She pushed him off the rest of the way before she searched around the tent looking for a dagger; they had taken the one she had borrowed from Ali. Coming up to a table littered with papers she brushed them aside to reveal a dagger, the hilt overlaid with gold and a simple ruby. She took it and cut a doorway through the fine linen of the tent walls and slipped out like a shadow. Wraithlike, she crept past the sleeping guards and the inattentive few to the campfire where the others were. She narrowed her gaze as she saw Hamza seated by the fire, sharpening his dagger and muttering to himself. _'This should work very nicely.'_ She grabbed the good sized chunk of rock and started spinning around before she let it fly. It sailed up through the air and landed deep in the faint smattering of dunes that hey had camped by. Hamza's head snapped up at the noise before he looked back at his prisoners and went to investigate the sound. Yasmine stole behind him, using the dunes for cover, as he slipped and slid up and down, finally reaching the object. 

"Only a rock. An animal must have hit it." Hamza turned to go back to the campsite. "Glad that city is a few days away now." 

Yasmine bent down and grabbed the rock. "I am sure that you are Hamza." she snarled as he turned at the sound of her voice only to find a rock smashing into his face. She barely noticed the gash on his cheek as she made sure that he was unconscious and stole back to the campsite. Ali and Ahmed looked up at her in surprise as she came and sat between them. 

"Make ready to leave." she gave Ali the dagger. "I will get the horses." 

They nodded their heads as she stole off towards the horse paddock. She crept along silently until she was as close to the gate lock as she could get. With painfully slow motions, she reached out and unlocked the gate, all the while making sure that the guards were looking at the fire. Moving silently to the back of the paddock, she searched out for two good horses as well as Rabi. Finally, she spotted the creamy white of Rabi's coat in the center of the other horses, gleaming red in the firelight. She placed her fingers to her lips and whistled a high birdlike call. A few heads barely turned as Rabi came trotting over at the sound, straight towards Yasmine. 

"Good girl." she murmured as she stroked the muzzle that descended. "See those two horses there? Yes, those two; bring them here for me. Good girl." 

Yasmine watched as Rabi trotted off. _'Thank Allah I have a very intelligent horse.'_ She looked around quickly and spied some reins coiled carelessly around a post. _'Their sloth is my gain at the moment.'_ Taking it, she untangled them and waited as Rabi herded the other two horses her way. She talked to them gently as she slipped on the reins and secured them. Tying them to a post she quickly attached Rabi's before she slipped underneath the fence and mounted Rabi's bareback. Grabbing the other reins in either hand, she trotted around a bit before charging the gate at full speed. The door swung open wildly as she rode out, all the unrestrained horse going free. She pulled up sharply where Ali and Ahmed were waiting patiently. She gave each of them a set of reins and help Ali pull Jafar up onto his horse. Already, she could see a few of the men, catching some horses and saddling them to give pursuit. 

"We shall split up. Ahmed, which way is it to the place you spoke of?" Yasmine asked as Rabi danced around eagerly. 

"That way Yasmine, as the crow flies. We shall meet you there!" Ahmed quickly replied, with a jerk of his head as he caught onto her plan "Allah go with you!" he called as he and Ali took off in to opposite direction. 

"And also with you!" she called back as she urged Rabi into a dead run and headed for the heart of the desert. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The cry of a vulture made the weary figure astride look up. _'I am not dead yet. Find yourself another carcass; one that is preferably dead before you feast upon it.'_ Yasmine looked back at the sand gratefully; the blue of the sky and the glare of the sun were hard on her weary eyes. The tiny scrubs slid in and out of focus as she struggled to not succumb to the heat. She had been riding for the past four days, her pursuers haven given up the chase by day three. It wasn't easy to maintain the path that Ahmed had told her to take; even harder was the fact that she had no food with her and especially no water. Both she and Rabi were on their last bit of stamina. 

With a sigh of exertion, Yasmine moved her lips, the parched, cracked skin splitting once more, blood trickling out slowly. Her hands felt as if they couldn't move from off the reins, her rear. . .she didn't even know if she still had one. Suddenly, Rabi stopped, with a tired whinny. She looked up to see a massive hill, the sun winking off of its top. She slumped against Rabi's neck as everything went black for a few seconds. 

"Come on Rabi. Just this hill and after. . ." she fell silent, not wanting to think about after. 

Rabi gave a faint nicker as she started up with plodding steps. Every once in a while, Yasmine managed to raise her head and pat Rabi's neck to give her encouragement to get up the slope. One in front of the other the hill seemed as if it was growing larger and larger. Yasmine sighed and rested her head against Rabi's neck as the horse plodded up the slope, closing her eyes; and she didn't think she would ever open them again. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Furor: I got this one done finally   
Jasmine: Yeah I should say so. And I think you'd better finish that chapter...chapter 17...Princess is getting anxious and all. So are other people.   
Peridot: It's her death wish really.   
Princess: Ya know. Don't make me sic Spatula on you; she has flaming tongs...   
Crystal: *pops head in* Flaming tongs? That doesn't sound too pleasant...   
Furor: O.o Gotta go!! Ja ne!!! 


	5. Five

Under Desert Skies 

A/N: Alrighty, the opening scene is a dream sequence. And for those of you who hate them, you're going to hate me even more because you have to read it in order to understand later events!! Bwhahahahaha...soiee Peridot Pooka. ^^ That said and done, hope you enjoy this chapter. 

_Chapter 5_

_The gritty taste of sand greeted Yasmine as she slowly moved her jawbone. Blinking a few times, she managed to push herself up from the ground and look around. The breeze moved slowly through the long leaves of the palm trees. She walked forward hesitantly, as the smell of water reached her nose. Just up ahead through the thick leaves of surrounding shrubbery was the faint silver gleam of liquid. Walking through the plants she made her way to the water and sat down beside it, cupping her shaky hands to relive her parched throat. _

"I would not drink that if I were you." 

Yasmine started with a clumsy motion, her bow out and drawn with an arrow. She found herself looking down at a short blonde haired child who was smiling at her. "W-Who are you?" she asked as she lowered her weapon. 

"Your cousin. Just as you remember me from all those years ago and not as I really am now." 

Yasmine let the bow drop from her hands as she sank to the ground; the exhaustion was getting to her. "I need water as does my horse. What is wrong with it?" 

"Look closer. Appearances can be deceiving Yasmine...remember that well. Ones who can seem like friends in a time of need can become vipers." 

Yasmine leaned over to get a closer look; there along the surface lay the bodies of the small creatures that inhabited the pool, bellies upturned to the scorching sun. She bent her head in frustration before she looked back. "Thank you for..." her words trailed off as she found herself looking at the empty space before her. 

Managing to her feet she started wandering around. "Rabi! Rabi! Where are you? Rabi!" 

She combed over the oasis with slow plodding steps before she collapsed beneath the shade of a palm tree. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to accept the bitter truth. "My horse is gone, I cannot drink the water and I have no food...I am dead." 

She closed her eyes wearily, resolving to never open them again. A soft touch caressed her face as she sighed with resignation. 

"You have not died yet; my daughter, how can you give up so easily?" 

Yasmine forced her eyes open to see another smiling face. "Mo-Mother? No...I must be dead now. You died so long ago in the desert when...when..." she fell silent unable to choke out the words. 

"And you are far from death's door Yasmine. Where is the resolve that I had to put up with when you were a child? The feistiness and determination has all melted away?" 

"Dulled by years of palace life." she replied listlessly. "Father never let me do many of the things I loved to do once you died. I couldn't go to the desert, I had to hunt with others, a part of me died along with you Mother." 

Ailysha smiled as she took Yasmine into her arms and picked her up. "No. That part of you hasn't died Yasmine; you simply cloaked it away and forgot about it. You will need it more than ever now. Do you still trust me my child?" 

"Yes Mother. You would never harm me; you died to save me." Yasmine rested her head against Ailysha's neck; she felt safe and protected as she once did when she was a child. 

"You shall claim what is yours my child and take your place." Ailysha whispered softly. "Trust me now. All will be right in the end." 

Yasmine had barely opened her eyes to ask about what when she found herself flung into the air. When she hit the water, she came alive, shaking off her lethargy and floundering to the surface with loud splutters. "What was that for Mother?" she started forward, her feet stirring the sandy bottom. "I demand an explanation!" 

Ailysha didn't reply, simply watching silently. Yasmine froze as every hair on her neck rose suddenly, making her look around warily. She started as she felt hands wrap around her ankles tightly; she reached down and tried to pry them loose. Then she felt as they started to pull her down with a slow inevitability. Yasmine looked back up at Ailysha with panic in her eyes before she started to fight back frantically. Slowly, the water crept its way up, from her knees and up her legs to her hips, the dead animals sloshing with her movements. 

"Mother, please, you have to help me!" she begged as the water stole up to her stomach. "Mother, please!" 

Ailysha simply looked on like a silent sentinel, not making a single motion. 

Yasmine fought back the tears as rage bubbled up from inside her. "Mother, you can't leave me to die like this. Please help me!" she said as she continued moving against the force that was pulling her down. 

Ailysha regarded her for a few more moments before she turned around, and walked off. 

"Mother!!" Yasmine screamed out in helpless frustration, as the water lapped against her elbows. She balled up her fists and smacked the water. A loud crack echoed around the clearing followed by bolts of red lightning that crackled and whipped around wildly. Yasmine stopped suddenly, not believing what she had just seen...or did. 'And the hands have stopped pulling me under.' She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she started forward. Then she was yanked under viciously, her scream disappearing into a loud gurgle as the empty clearing left no mark that she had been there or even existed. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The sensation of water being poured over her face made Yasmine open her eyes with a start; why wasn't she dead? 

"How is she Trowa?" 

"She needs water. It's a good thing we were able to get her to this oasis or she would be dead by nightfall." 

Yasmine closed her eyes as a spout was placed on her lips. "No...no water...death..." she mumbled pushing the object away weakly. 

"You have to drink." the new voice was insistent and different from the second voice; wasn't it the first voice? 

Yasmine didn't protest as the liquid flowed into her mouth and down her throat. She fought down the immediate urge to bring it all back up. "Thank you." she managed as she breathed heavily. 

"Help me get her to the shade Heero. Did you take care of her horse?" 

Yasmine's eyes flew open as she tried to rise quickly. "Rabi! W-Where is she?" she asked. She only managed to fall to the ground and take someone with her. 

"Your horse is fine. I suggest you let us take you to the shade so you can-" 

Yasmine ignored his words as she forced herself up to take a look around. The cool water greeted her vision edged by the light brown of the sand. And there by the small shore, were three horses, her own drinking placidly a bit away from the other two. She took a step forward followed by another one before she tripped and fell to the ground again. 

"She's really weak Heero. She needs a day of rest to recuperate her strength." 

"Tell that to her Trowa." 

Yasmine looked up as the guy with strange hair crouched beside her. "What...do you want with me? I have nothing of value." 

Trowa shook his head. "Nothing. Will you sit in the shade?" 

Yasmine turned her gaze from him to Heero and then back again. "The river...you're the same ones I saw that day..." 

Heero bent down and picked her up. "Yes. Now sit in the shade." 

Yasmine gave a disgusted sigh as she was placed under a tree. "My legs are not broken." 

"No. They just can't support you. Sit here and rest while we take care of things." 

Yasmine fumed silently as he walked off and started talking to Trowa as they went to the horses. A small chuckle escaped from her as Heero tried to approach Rabi and she shied away from him with a wild snort and roll of her eyes. Trowa was about to do the same thing when she gave the call again after steeling herself. Rabi trotted over quickly, nickering softly as Yasmine reached up and stroked the muzzle. 

"Now I want you to be nice for them," she said as she managed to pull herself up and lean against the tree. "But if they do anything strange, do not hesitate to give them hell." she couldn't help but smile as Rabi insistently pushed her muzzle against her. "I will be fine. You go and eat." 

Rabi gave a snort as she walked away slowly to the small patch of grass. Yasmine closed her eyes as she took a deep breath before she started to take stock of her arsenal. Surprisingly, she still had her bow and quiver, in addition to her small pack with some of the things she would have missed. 

"May I ask you something?" 

She found herself looking up to be greeted by Trowa's strangely neutral expression. "What do you wish to know?" 

"Are you the Princess?" 

"And if I am?" she asked with a shrug. 

A small smirk crossed his face briefly. "I could say that we would take you back to Laharish and collect the bounty that is now on your head." 

"Bounty?! Curse that snakelike whore." she spat as her hands clenched involuntarily. 

Trowa blinked in the face of her obvious surprise and rage before he schooled his face again. "Be glad that we have no such intentions. Where are you headed?" 

"Headed?" she paused. _ 'Ali, Jafar and Ahmed were supposed to meet me at an oasis...is it this one? Or another? Allah, I am lost in the desert. This is the very last thing that I need to have happen to me now.'_

"Princess?" Trowa repeated once again. 

"I am headed to find my mother's people. Her name was Ailysha." 

"Ailysha? Was?" Heero finally approached slowly. "There was an Ailysha in our tribe. It might be the same one. Did she have brothers?" 

Yasmine nodded as she bent down and picked up the long stick that she spied by her feet. Using it as a support she made her way to the water and started down into its reflective surface, the words echoing around in her head again. She looked back at Trowa and Heero for a moment before she looked back at the water. _ 'For the moment, I shall have to place my trust in them. If they wish to deceive me, they are doing a fine job of it.'_

"Are you willing to travel with us to our homeland and see?" Heero's voice was quiet. 

Yasmine turned back to face them. "I do not wish to be a burden to you in my present state. I would only slow you down and so forth." she paused; was it her or did she feel a slight vibration in the sand? "I could not do that to you after all the kindness that you have shown me." 

Heero shot her a slightly quizzical look. "You'd rather us leave you here?" 

Yasmine didn't reply as she started forward slowly. "I'd rather die than end back up in the city in the palace. Let that be known to you and your friend as well as this; I have no time to waste. I must find a way..." she trailed off as she looked around the tops of the dunes that sheltered the oasis; she could feel the vibrations in the sand. "Someone is coming." she said looking back at them. 

Heero and Trowa gave each other sidelong glances before Trowa walked off to the horses and started to lead them to a secluded area. Heero looked at Yasmine not saying anything. 

"What do you want now? Is the brooch of my cloak that interesting?" 

"Can you make it to the trees there?" 

"What kind of woman do you take me for? A weak and helpless one? I can walk." she said as she started to make her way back. 

Heero fell in step beside her as they walked into the trees and concealed themselves among the thick cover of leaves. Trowa soon joined them as they sat there in complete silence and waited. 

"I hope that you don't have us waiting here in vain Princess." Trowa said in a barely heard voice. 

She turned to snap at him but paused as she sensed an air of sarcasm around him. "Hn." she turned her attention back to the pool of water. 

The air became thick with tension as the dry heat and shadows pressed around the trio. Just as Yasmine was about to rise and berate herself for an over active imagination, a horse appeared at the top of a dune and descended down, others pouring after the lead. Yasmine stifled her gasp; she had been right. But the question was who these people were? She glanced over at Heero to find him watching the people intently. Turning her attention back to the new visitors, she watched as they dismounted and watered their horses, their conversation floating over to their ears. 

"How long have we been looking for her now? It's been three days since they showed up and demanded that we find her." 

A snort responded. "If those two outlanders hadn't raided us and taken the one thing that our leader needs, we would be able to find them a lot quicker. Half our men are looking for them and the other half searching for her. That damn bounty would be handy right now." 

Yasmine bit her lip hard; it would appear that she had other people hunting her down now. 

"You're just saying that so you can buy the rich city food. That stuff will kill you one day. I can't warn you every single time." 

"Ha, then I can die happy. Some good food and a woman by my side!" 

Yasmine took a shaky breath; she wanted these people gone now so she go far away; preferably over mountains. 

"I hope you two are done with your talk. We ride now!" 

Yasmine peered forward as the voice echoed out around the oasis; it had a familiar ring to it. She started to move a leaf slightly before she glanced over at Heero. He was glaring at her with a none too pleased expression. Ignoring it, she moved the leaf and looked out. The men were remounting now as the horses pranced around, refreshed from their drink. _ 'He must be the leader. Most likely the tribe leader from the looks of it.'_ Yasmine narrowed her eyes as she spotted the wrapped head from amongst the others. She barely caught a glimpse of eyes as they took off up the slope, followed by the others and cries to spur the horses. Once silence descended around the oasis, she crept out slowly before standing up straight on her stick. 

"I would say you are a good person to have around Princess." 

She turned hearing Trowa's voice. "You did not know that they were coming?" 

"We knew. We were wondering if you did." Heero replied. "And you haven't answered my question yet." 

Yasmine looked up at the dune where the horsemen had vanished, the small trickles of sand rolling down the hill erasing away the tracks. "I will come with you. I know what lies for me here and I will have none of it." She looked down and spied a glint of gold just a few steps ahead. Reaching down for it, she pulled it free; it was the same golden dagger that she had given Ali when they had escaped from Ioudas' camp. She tightened her grip on it reflexively. _ 'So this was the place. I will find you three wherever you may be.'_

"Do...you feel well enough to ride Princess?" Trowa asked. 

"I shall ride." she said as she leaned off of her stick and held it loosely in her hand. "We can ride whenever you wish to leave." 

Heero regarded her for a moment. "Just like that?" 

"Just like that." Yasmine said. _ 'There is no point in me staying in this forsaken land that does not want me anymore.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The deep indigo of the sky made Yasmine finally look up. They had ridden all day, the mountains in the distance drawing steadily closer and closer. She patted Rabi's neck as she snorted, a rock skittering to the side harmlessly. 

"I know that the ground is rocky but do your best." she said with a smile. She looked back up to see Trowa looking at her with a slightly curious gaze. "Yes, I do talk to my horse. Do you have a problem with that?" 

Trowa shook his head as he turned his attention back to the landscape before them. "We should stop soon. We have to eat." 

Heero nodded his head. "There's a bit of grass up ahead. We can all eat." 

Yasmine didn't say anything as they kept going for a bit more. She wasn't too sure why she was snapping at them. They had been extremely polite with her considering the situation and she had been nothing but rude to them. Unconsciously, she started to chew her lip. _ 'Where would I go if this does not give me a place to stay? Will they take me in once they find out what I truly am accused of?'_ She gave a heavy sigh as the steady clip-clop of hooves came to a halt. She watched as Trowa and Heero dismounted and started to picket the horses. 

"Here, let me." she said, taking the reins from them. 

Not giving them a chance to protest, she led the horses away, talking to them in a soothing voice; she always did feel better around horses for some reason. Seeing the horses safely feeding, she turned back to see a small fire going cheerily, Heero and Trowa seated around it. Walking up she sat a bit away, pulling her stained cloak closer around her. 

"Aren't you hungry?" Trowa asked as he offered her a bit of bread. 

She shook her head. "No. Thank you though." she murmured as she started broodingly into the fire; her appetite was fairly small right now, despite having a little water and some dried fruit in the midday. 

A tense silence descended around the hasty campsite, as the obvious effort to not look at one another produced strained coughs. The quiet rustlings of t he horses made her look back every once in awhile as if they would suddenly vanish on them. _ 'I am being so busy being worried; I should more worry about trying to ease up on myself.'_

"Are you on the run also?" 

She looked up, startled by Heero's question. Watching as he prodded the fire, she managed to reply, "Y-Yes I am. Just as you two are." 

"We never told you that." Trowa said softly. 

"Judging how you were willing to go on my initial words that someone was coming, you were not going to leave anything to chance and took cover." she gave a small smile as looks of mild impression spread across their faces. "I may have grown up in that palace but I much preferred to be out here." 

"Why did you leave?" Heero asked. 

"I have my reasons as do you. All I can tell you is that I had no choice to leave and I would not let people's actions be in vain." 

Trowa nodded his head before he leaned forward. "It has nothing to do with your mother? She didn't do anything to you?" 

Yasmine took a hard swallow. "My mother is deceased. She never harmed me a day in my life, if that is what you are insinuating. I left because of the whore." 

Heero's eyebrows went up slightly. "And who may the 'whore' be?" 

Yasmine watched them for a few minutes. "I may as well warn you. If you ever go back to Laharish, it is her grasp that you must stay out of. But I cannot bring myself to utter the name of that Egyptian whore. Not that I have anything against Egyptians, understand that." she steadied herself with a deep breath. "This...Allah, I can't even call her a woman; this whore usurped my place in the palace and then pushed me out of the way. Attempted to I should rather say, for I still live." 

"She tried to kill you?" Trowa asked, with a curious look on his face. 

"Yes, and as I told her, I would not make it easy for her." 

A small smirk crossed Heero's face. "And you travelled alone?" 

Yasmine stayed silent for a few minutes. "I think I should ask some questions of you two now. I have answered plenty about myself. What about you two travellers; why did you conceal yourselves from the men at the oasis?" 

"They stole something of ours and we stole it back." Heero replied frankly. "It is rightfully ours and they have no claim to it." 

"This is his test in a manner of speaking." Trowa added. "Princess, perhaps you should get a bit of rest now. We have to cross the mountains to reach the other side." 

She watched them for a few minutes. "All my life, I have been called Princess. I need a change. Call me Yasmine if you please. I am far from the 'docile' princess now." 

Trowa gave a smile. "Yasmine, I think it wise for you to rest now." 

Heero nodded. "There are things that must be discussed between Trowa and me." 

Yasmine nodded as she rose. "I feel a bit exhausted also. And I do apologize for my behaviour today. It was uncalled for and now, I bid you a good night." 

Murmurs of good night followed her as she removed herself a bit from the warmth of the fire and rolled herself up in the travel-stained cloak. _ 'When I can, I will get a new cloak for myself. I should get some supplies for arrows as well. My quiver does not fill itself.'_ She sighed and closed her eyes. _ 'I will never get to apologize to Ali now. May Allah have mercy on his soul wherever he is now, as well as Ahmed and Jafar'_ She stared out at the horses as they ate placidly, the sound of moving hooves echoing out softly. It wasn't long before she regulated her breathing and let her mind wander. It wandered staright back to the strange dream she had; the feeling that she had died once those hands had pulled her in, was niggling and inescapable. And why had her mother thrown her in like that and simply watched her? And the words of her little cousin; should she take them for what they were, or rather look beneath them and try to see what he meant on a larger scale? 

"Is she asleep yet?" 

"I think so. Look at the way she breathes. Trowa, I'm not too sure if we can make it to the mountains with her in tow. She does ride fast but she still slows us down. She's still too weak to continue at this pace." 

"She's coming with us Heero. You know that it has been a long time since we have had a shaman with us and since the last one died mysteriously after his trip to Egypt, things have not been good for the tribe. He didn't finish training me and all I know is from experience. When it comes to this, experience is not the best teacher." 

"Hn. Do you think that the snake Isis had anything to do with it?" 

"Most undoubtedly; she is a very dangerous woman. I get the impression that is who Yasmine was talking of. Even I do not like saying her name." 

"You were lucky to escape her also." there came a pause. "Do we really need Yasmine?" 

"You saw what she did while she was in the dreamworld for yourself. None I have seen could do that. Red is the colour of potency and life. I have seen others with red, but not a red like that. It was as red as blood." 

"At least it's not white." 

A brief silence came before Trowa spoke again. "She is coming with us Heero. Can you afford to throw away a chance like this? You already lost favour with the Elders; don't lose anymore." 

"They won't take the chance. We could crush them once and for all and rid ourselves of them. But we must play nice and go on raids that take more of men than an actual battle." a pause came. "They play the fool's game instead of actually doing something. Our tribe grows weaker and weaker." 

"And I am sure we will be better once you pass your last test to become leader Heero." another pause as the fire was stirred and crackled noisily. "You will not regret bringing Yasmine along." 

"Hn. You can face the Elders when we get back. I am on my last nerve with them. Did you want to split up and meet back up?" 

"Not any more. I have to make sure that nothing happens to Yasmine. But I don't think that she will want to be my apprentice. She'll look at me and see inexperience." 

Yasmine blocked out the rest of the conversation as she perked her ears up slightly; didn't she just hear a rock go skittering? Brushing it aside, she closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep; she was tired from her day as well as racking her mind constantly to decipher the dream. Yet sleep still eluded her as she sensed something horribly off. Finally exasperated, she rose, startling Trowa and Heero from the rest of their conversation. She knew this feeling of being watched and it irritated her to no end. 

"Yasmine, I thought you were asleep." Trowa said as he rose also. 

"I was." she fibbed as she drew her bow and notched an arrow to it. "Something is wrong here." 

"Wrong?" Heero rose. "What's wrong?" 

Trowa drew his sword suddenly in a ring of steel. "I feel it too. Ready yourself Heero." 

Yasmine scanned the area around the fire. _ 'Why aren't the horses spooked?'_ She cast her gaze to where the horses should have been picketed. "The horses!!" she exclaimed as the sight of broken lines met her eyes. "They're gone!" 

The three of them edged out silently as they tried to see what had happened. Heero made his way to the lines and inspected them. 

"They've been cut. The horses could be anywhere now." 

Yasmine scanned the area once again. The same thing greeted her eyes. The rocky stretch with nowhere to hide. Yet she still felt that there was something there and now she felt as if it was making its way towards Heero slowly. She quelled the sense of panic inside as she bided her time; how could one fight an enemy that was invisible? She couldn't be losing it for Trowa was just as defensive as her. When the panic inside threatened to overwhelm her she let the arrow fly with a twang. It buried itself deep inside someone's throat as the body became visible and crashed down to the ground, making Heero jump back, drawing his own sword as well. 

The night filled with shrieks and whirling steel as the attackers revealed themselves and launched into a full fledged assault. Yasmine reached back into her quiver so many times she lost count. She had finally resorted to using her last arrow as a knife as she slashed and stabbed with it. Trowa and Heero had been lost in the press of the bodies but every now and then, she would catch glimpses of steel. Finally feeling her strength start to go, she called for Rabi. Soon enough the horse came thundering in. Uttering another birdlike call, Rabi's hooves descended upon flesh and the horse tore through the attackers. After what seemed like an eternity, the remaining attackers fled off into the night, leaving Yasmine, Heero and Trowa to sheathe their weapons slowly. 

"What was that?" Yasmine asked as she leaned heavily against Rabi. 

"Na' azai." Trowa said in a quiet voice as he bent down beside the now visible bodies. "We leave now. This is Isis' doing." 

Yasmine spat on the ground and turned away. "There is something to be said about certain words. They should not be uttered and that whore's name is one of them." 

"So you know this woman as well?" Heero turned her around with a hand on her shoulder. 

"Unfortunately." Yasmine replied looking Heero in the eye. 

Heero watched her for a few minutes until he started looking around. "Where are the horses?" 

"Here." came Trowa's disjointed voice. "They concealed them very well." 

"Are you fit to ride?" Heero asked turning back to Yasmine. 

"Once I get in the saddle, I can make it. Are we to ride straight to the mountains?" 

"Yes." Heero watched her for a few minutes before he mounted his horse quickly. 

Yasmine didn't reply, looking around at the bodies around them before she gazed at the horizon warily; normally, she would go and collect the arrows she had used but she mounted Rabi as well. She didn't want to have to fight anymore battles for the day. They started off slowly, not wanting the horses to misstep and end up with a rock in their hooves. Just as the sun was cresting over the mountaintops, they picked up pace, the flat stretch allowing for full gallop. Yasmine closed her eyes at the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair. Every once in awhile, she would look over to see Trowa and Heero, their own hair whipping around in the breeze as much as hers was. Soon enough the only thing that bore testament to their presence was the rising trail of stirred dust. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Furor: And yet another chapter cranked out somehow. What with my brother being the asshole that he is.   
Crysta;: Yeah. What did he do to the computer again?   
Furor: Took it upon himself to uninstall Microsoft Word (TM). What I want to do.... oh... he'll regret messing with me....*twists at her shirt*   
Peridot: Oh shit...she's twisting the shirt...this is not good.   
Princess: Just how pissed is she? In the level of ultimate revenge in which pain is caused to the said other party?   
Jasmine: You mean she's going to kill her brother? Hey, get rid of mine while you're at it?! Furor: No. I am going to solve the problem so he can't touch something that belongs to me.   
Crystal: O.o Eh heh...and what are you going to do to the scumsucker?   
Furor: *turns to Heero* I need a good recommendation for....a laptop.   
Jasmine: That's your big plan? That's it? Get a laptop? You'll be working for awhile if you want to get that!   
Furor: Well at this point, it's worth it. I have had it with the...onna. I am going to end this once and for all.   
Crystal: Hey Furor...should your hair be all out like that? Like in a fro and....   
Furor: *glares at Crystal*   
Crystal: Eh...never mind. 


	6. Six

_Under Desert Skies_

**A/N**: All right, I know I have absolutely no excuse for this extremely looooooooooong delay in updating. Don't kill me Jas, I never forgot about the fic - in fact, I have the entire plot written out with quite a few chapters written - I just never got around to typing it all up. v_v Plus I have a stupid oral ISU presentation on Thursday. And don't you laugh. 

Chapter 6

Sunlight twinkled down from the jagged lip of the cliff walls, in between the sparse branches of stunted tress. Yasmine glanced up, squinting slightly; a smile came to her face hearing the gentle echoing clip-clop of their horses' hooves. Her eyes shifted downwards to the edge of the trail they were travelling down. The black gulp that stretched across to the flat wall seemed bottomless and infinite. She smacked her lips slightly, earning a glance from Heero and Trowa. 

"I'm fine. This place is amazing though," she murmured. "Rugged beauty." 

"Keep your eyes to the path, Princess." Heero said curtly as he looked back ahead. 

"He simply doesn't wish for you to grow faint and fall." Trowa said after a rather awkward silence. 

"Grow faint? I have been riding up here all day. Have I shown any signs of falling from my horse?" she grasped the reins more firmly. "The way he is going, he may fall off if anything. Isn't focusing that much bad for you?" 

She looked at Trowa puzzled as he gave a funny little cough. Looking up, she saw Heero glance back, his lip tugged upwards slightly, before he looked ahead once more. A frown crossed her face as she rubbed the reins between her slightly chapped fingers. It seemed rather odd to her, that he had smiled of all things; he had definitely struck her as the type of person who got things done immediately and didn't favour any sort of drawback or delay. 

"Princess? Princess?" 

"Oh! I apologize." she said as Trowa's voice finally broke through. "What were you asking me?" 

"If you have ever been to Peda." 

"Peda? Can you eat that?" the words left her mouth before she could stop them; it was pretty obvious, even to her, that she was hungry and that Peda was not a food. 

"No, you can't. It's a town." he said with a thoughtful look before he made a motion for his saddle sack. "I have some dried fruit still..." 

"Just a small piece to hold me over." she said, staring ahead from embarrassment. "I should have had some water." 

"That, I cannot help." Trowa handed her the dry strip. "Peda is an isolated town in these mountains. Very few know of its existence; those that do use it as a place to hide from bounty hunters." 

"So we are pausing here for a brief rest and to refill on supplies." she fell silent for a moment. "There aren't bounty hunters there?" 

"Sometimes; you will have to be on your guard. The bounty may have increased while we were in the desert." Trowa said. "Were you hoping to stay with family somewhere?" 

"I was...but I don't know where they are." she replied after swallowing. "My mother, Ailysha, left her brothers to guard me when I was young. But she died." 

"Their names?" Trowa asked with a pensive look. 

"Jafar and Ahmed." she said looking at the last bit in her hand mournfully. "I do not know what happened to them or where they are now." 

"A family with those three are still there; the daughter, Ailysha, died. Perhaps they are your family. We can see when you arrive." 

"You assume I am going with you." Yasmine shot him a look of amusement. "But since, you saved me in the oasis, we are in this for better or for worse." she tossed the last piece into her mouth, chewing with a small grin. 

"I believe we may have underestimated you. This is the place, Heero." Trowa said as he stopped. 

Yasmine let Rabi stop as she looked around; this was where they had come to? A large area missing from the rock wall; surely there had to be more here. She watched as Heero dismounted, giving Trowa his reins and started walking along, boots crunching against the loose rock. She had just opened her mouth to ask a question but stopped at Trowa's motion. 

Little apprehensive noises came from her throat as Heero made his way over to a steep incline and started up. 'This isn't such a good idea.' She played with the reins anxiously, feeling the worry inside her grow. When she eased herself down, earning a glace from Trowa, she squinted up after Heero, trying to see him; the sun's glare was blinding him from view. When silence descended over the area, she looked at Trowa, managing a small smile, before she focused her attention ack to where she had lost sight of Heero. After a few minutes, she started to shift from foot to foot, as if impatient. 

"Is something wrong Princess?" Trowa asked, coming to stand beside her. 

"No, nothing." she paused before she spoke once more. "Is all well up there?" 

"Yes. I'm just looking for something." came Heero's terse reply. 

Yasmine nodded her head as she looked at the reins in her hand. "What could he be looking for?" 

"Don't worry. He left it here when we passed through here before. He doesn't want to miss it." Trowa said. "The hill is so steep, no one ever bothers to climb it. It's virtually a cliff." 

"Ah." Yasmine looked up at the steep cliff face; there was supposed to be something up there? "Heero?" she called; he had been gone for a few minutes. "Where are you? Is all well?" 

"I'm still up here." he sounded annoyed. "I'm...stuck." 

Yasmine looked at Trowa, who had a rather startled look on his face. She gave him Rabi's reins before she walked over to the incline and started up. _'Just how in Allah's name did he get himself stuck?'_ She managed to scramble her way up rather quickly and surveyed the area. Then she saw him; wedged in between two rocks, legs braced against it; he had obviously tried to free himself. 

"Heero...how did you come to be in this predicament?" she asked as she walked up the rock and took a closer look. 

"I got stuck. What more do you need to know." 

"Hm..." Yasmine mused to herself. "It seems that you misjudged the space between the rocks. Hang on." she pushed one, trying to see if she could move it. "All right, I shall have to pull you free. Use your legs as leverage and you shall be out of there in no time." 

Yasmine shook her head as she looked for an appropriate place to grasp. After a rather futile search, she simply reached forward and grabbed his hips, her face flaming. 

"Is there a reason why you're not doing anything?" Heero asked, his voice rather irritated. 

"No. Just...move and I'll start." she said before she started to pull. 

She strained, finding that Heero had managed to wedge himself in rather tightly. She closed her eyes, leaning back a bit more to put more force into the motion. She smiled in relief as she felt Heero start to come loose. Then everything snapped back as he came loose and she sprawled to the ground. 

"I hope," she began as she dusted herself off. "That is the last time you...do..." 

"What now?" Heero asked, beating the fine particles from his clothing. 

"Nothing." she bit on her lip, trying to hide her grin. "Let's continue to Peda, shall we?" 

She climbed back down in a hurry, earning a strange look from Trowa as he handed the reins back to her. 

"What is so funny?" he asked, mounting his own horse. 

"Heero." she stated, making a motion above her head. 

Trowa looked at her with an arched eyebrow until Heero came back down, a small bag tied to his belt. Trowa's lips tugged up into the beginnings of a smile before he schooled his face back into its more serious expression. Heero took his reins back without a word and continued on. Yasmine looked at Trowa before she mouthed 'his hair'. Trowa nodded his head, but didn't say anything; he looked ready to laugh out loud. Heero's hair was sticking out in all directions and covered in a fine powdering of brown rock dust. She cleared her throat and started ahead as Heero led the way to Peda. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so boring after all. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You dirty liar!" 

Yasmine jumped with the sound of the voice as well as the crash, her hands flying to her weapon and readying it. When the threat made itself clear that it was on the lower level, she eased back against the wall, blinking owlishly. Ever since they had arrived in Peda two days ago, she had been nervous and on edge, not leaving the room; posters with her likeness were plastered to almost every bit of available space and the bounty hunters were coming in more and more each day. 

"You can rest easy, Princess." Trowa said as he stirred from his place in the shadowy corner. "No one is after you." 

"You sound sure of yourself." she said as she pulled her cloak closer. 

"Why don't you rest on the bed? It would be better than the floor." 

"For all I know, every single whore in this town has been on that bed." she wrinkled her nose. "Call me what you wish, but I have no desire to sleep on such a questionable surface. Aside from that fact, it could be brimming with Allah know what, lice, ticks and such. I prefer the floor." 

"As you wish." Trowa said, leaving the corner and coming to sit beside her. 

Yasmine looked at him before she closed her eyes once more. Maybe it had been her, but Trowa hadn't left the room either since they had come here. She frowned as a sudden restlessness descended over her; she wanted to be free and alone, as dangerous as that might be. With a grunt, she rose and pulled her cowl closer, opening her door. She made her way down, warily and silently, out onto the street. 

The sight of the protecting mountain walls greeted her as she looked upwards; it was comforting and encroaching at the same time. With a huff, she pulled her cowl closer, and started to make her way through the crowded streets. She wandered through the fragrant streets, the scent of dates, pomegranates and incense wafted through the air. An ache settled in her heart as she weaved her way through, keeping an eye open for the sharp gleam of metal; so many days had been like this when she had left the palace with Fatima by her side. She glanced back every once awhile, to see Trowa's head following at a distance away. She moved rapidly through the crowd, until she spotted another cloaked head, the fabric the exact same shade as hers. She hurried over and overtook the person before she slipped into an alleyway; Trowa walked right by her, following after the person. 

With a smile, she walked to the opposite end of the alley and continued on her walk out on the walkway. She just rounded the corner when she turned sharply, seeing a scimitar gleaming pristinely in the morning sunlight on an end table in a stall. Her lips pursed slightly as her eye critically examined the weapons. A loud cough from the back made her look up as the stall keeper made his way out from the back, the ragged dirty turban making her wrinkle her nose - it certainly didn't smell like the rest of the stalls. 

"Would the pretty lady like to buy a weapon? Nice dangerous weapon for the pretty lady." 

"I was wondering if you had supplies for making arrows." she asked, looking over the pieces; so far, nothing was really catching her eye. 

"Yes yes, that I have." the man disappeared for a few moments before he resurfaced with a large tied bundle. "Good for your arrows, yes? A full span, they are?" 

"Yes; you have a good eye." she said as she took the package and opened it to make sure. "Do you have any red and black feathers?" 

"That I can provide for lady as well." he disappeared and reappeared again. "Black and red are very popular colours; bounty hunters want it to catch Princess Yasmine for the bounty." 

She felt her heart stop for a moment. "Oh? Just how much is the bounty at now?" 

"Interested are you?" the man flashed her a grin. "Bounty is now one thousand five hundred drachmas." 

Yasmine held back the bitter gall that rose in her throat as she remained silent for a moment. "That is plenty enough." 

"I know," the man nodded. "Four gold drachmas." 

"Four!? Robber!" she shot out, shaking the package hard. "This is, at most, three gold drachmas and a few silver denari." 

"These things are in high demand. But I suppose I could take the three drachmas and seven silver denari." 

"Seven? You wish to beggar me? I am poor enough as it is already! Three and four." 

"Three and six." 

"Three and five, or I shall walk. And I assume you need the business more than I need the arrows." 

"Three drachmas and five denari," the man said holding out his hand. "Pretty lady drives a good bargain." 

Yasmine didn't say anything as she dug into her side pouch and started to dig around for the coins. She slowed for a second a moment later and continued on; someone was watching her. She could feel their eyes boring into her back. She quietly asked for the dagger at the end, not caring that it was a cheap piece; it would do well for defending herself now. The man hurried pushed the package into her arm and settled back into his seat. She placed the package in her pouch before she hurried down the walkway, slipping into an alleyway, palming the small dagger. 

She slunk into the shadows as she watched for her hunter to come out. Before long, a tall figure blocked out the light in the alleyway before it moved forward, slowly, with a deliberate intent. Yasmine stilled her breathing as the person drew closer. She moved her hand up a bit more, before she struck, aiming for the ribs. The person reacted almost instantly, swinging around and grabbing her wrist and twisting the blade out of it viciously. She dodged the blow that had been aimed at her temple, knocking her arm against the back of the assailant legs. The figure dropped like a stone, a heavy thud echoing out through the alleyway. 

Yasmine bent down to find that they had been knocked out cold, their brown bangs shadowing half the face. She brushed them back, a sigh of irritation and slight anger coming from her throat; it was one of those pale faced foreigners, although this one was quite tanned. She grabbed her dagger and hurried out of the alleyway. She didn't look up once as she made her way back to the filthy inn they were staying at and entered her room quietly. 

"He's out there looking for you, you know." the quiet words were accented by the steady ringing sound of the hone against his sword. 

She shot up, dagger in her hand as Heero's voice reached her. She relaxed after a few seconds, meeting his cobalt blue eyes with a wary expression. "Why?" 

"That is beyond me. He feels it is his duty to make sure no harm befalls you." 

_"You saw what she did while she was in the dreamworld for yourself. None I have seen could do that." _

"At least it's not white." 

Yasmine looked at Heero, not quite willing to believe that as she remembered their secret words by the campfire. She seated herself on the windowsill after brushing of the filth that seemed to accumulate despite her frequent cleanings. Quickly, she laid out all of her supplies and got down to work, making arrows to fill the near empty quiver on her back. Before long, a pile grew beside her, the bristling tufts of red and black rustling every time she placed down a new one. 

When she finally finished, the sky was a deep orange blue colour, the first of the faint stars coming out. She sighed as she drew the remaining six arrows from her quiver. A frown crossed her lips as she looked at the tips; they had gone from the blue-white of steel to a dark black colour with strange fine green veins running through it. She looked at it before she took the dagger and carved in a symbol into the first one, near the base of the shaft. She did this to the remaining five before she wrapped the tips in pieces of ripped cloth and put the rest back into the quiver. She smiled in semi-satisfaction when she looked at the mass of feathers and wood in the dying sunlight. 

"Heero-" she started but broke off immediately when she noticed that he was fast asleep. 

She placed her quiver down silently and padded her way over to the bedside. She hadn't even noticed when he had fallen asleep. It was odd though, he looked more pleasant when he was this way rather than awake. She smiled to herself as she leaned forward a bit, trying to imagine what he must have looked like when he smiled fully. Then the expression disappeared from her face; his wasn't a face that smiled much, perhaps never. 

Leaning in to see a bit better in the growing dark, she tried to see more of his face. Suddenly light burst in as the door opened with a bang. She toppled forward, unable to right herself as she tried to move away in time. She landed face first into Heero, sprawling onto of him. 

"Well, I found her, Trowa! She's trying to make a move on Heero!" 

Yasmine struggled up through a pile of linens, before she stood before the person and Trowa, an irate look on her face. The person was rubbing a spot on their head as Trowa appeared with a lantern. Yasmine felt the blood in her face drain. 

"It's you. The one who attacked me in the alleyway." 

"Me?! I think you got it backwards; you nearly knifed me in the ribs!" the guy grinned. "Lady, you sure know how to hit; you dropped me like a stone." 

"Duo, that 'lady' is Yasmine; Princess Yasmine," Trowa said softly once the door was closed. "Heir to the Laharish throne." 

Yasmine blinked as she watched Duo's face pale and he started stuttering out apologies. "It's all right. But if you were with Trowa, why didn't you say anything." 

"You were gone before I could figure out where you had ducked away to; and it's hard to give me the slip, Princess." Duo said with a red face. 

"I've been trained in hunting and such. A city is no different that the desert." she glanced back at Heero, who was tying his word back onto his belt. "We are leaving tonight?" 

"Yes." Trowa said. "We may have stayed here too long already, but the horses needed the rest. "We'll eat here and then leave." 

"I don't think that's a good idea. The sooner we go, the better." Duo said. "When I was coming back here, I found that I had to shake some unwanted company. They might still be out on the city's southern end." 

"How many?" Heero asked. 

"A dozen or so. Armed to the teeth too." 

"The flats." he said as he walked out the door, without another word. 

Yasmine looked at Duo and Trowa. "The flats?" 

"The outlying lands of the tribe's territory," Duo explained. "No one but tribe members go through there. They say it's cursed by death and that the last shaman-" 

"Duo, enough!" 

Yasmine looked up at Trowa barked command before he tapped the door impatiently. She and Duo walked out almost guiltily, hurrying down the stairs and through the tavern area to where their horses were stabled. She mounted Rabi easily enough, waiting until the others had gone out before her. Nothing more was said as they made their way through the streets quickly, heading for the northern pass that led down out of the mountains. 

"I really didn't realize it was you in there Princess." Duo said quietly, breaking the silence. "I thought it was someone else who got you, or something." 

"That's all right Duo." she said waving aside his apology. "And don't call me Princess; it's far too formal and draws attention." 

"Well, that's kinda hard for me; I have a great deal of respect for Laharisians." he said with a sheepish smile. "I mean, when I was first lost on this continent, it was in Laharish. Your people are very friendly and helpful." 

"National character." she said with a shrug. "Is there anything you can tell me about the tribe?" 

"About the tribe?" Duo asked, giving Trowa a glance. "Yeah, what do you want to know?" 

"Information in general," she said; the looks that had passed between the two of them were not lost on her. "And just how do you fit into all of this." 

"Well...let's see here." Duo's face became thoughtful. "Heero's the next leader, Trowa there's the shaman and I'm just a hunter with a messy tent. The tribe is known as the Draza'carth. Kinda a mouthful isn't it?" 

"Very." she nodded after pronouncing the word carefully. "And just what are you three fleeing from now?" 

"That is no one of our concern Yasmine." Heero's voice drifted back to her. "Once we arrive, we will see to placing you with your family." 

Yasmine didn't say anything for a few minutes before she spoke to Duo again. "Who do the Draza'carth fight against?" 

"The Maganacs." Duo replied with a shrug. "Their new leader just took his position and he isn't waiting for people to contest him. He's affirmed his power and is already after us. But I heard in Peda that he's looking for someone, a family member who went missing in Laharish." 

"Ah." she nodded her head for a moment before she looked at him. "Just where are you from, Duo?" 

"Me?" he looked at her surprised before he laughed. "I figured with my tan, people wouldn't ask me that anymore. I'm from a place far far away." 

"How far is far?" 

"Over a year's travel by land...three probably; going by boat is just as hellish. An island called Alba." 

"Alba?" 

"Have you taken Latin?" he smiled as she nodded. "Scotia." 

"Ah. That is very far. How did you come to be so far from home?" 

"It's a pretty long story, Yasmine; not for a trip like this one. Maybe when we get back, I can tell you around the dinner fire." 

"Very well; I shall take you up on that offer one day." she gave him a grin. "What do you know about magic?" she didn't say anything, noticing that Trowa had glanced back, his ears alert; what a double edged question she had asked. 

"Don't ask me. Trowa's the one for that department. Besides, just wait until we arrive; he'll probably answer all your questions then." 

Yasmine nodded as they reached the top of the pass and started down. She paused for a moment, looking back at the town of Peda, the lights of candles flickering in the windows. With a snort, she urged Rabi down after the others; the sooner these mountains were between her and her hunters she'd feel a lot better. 


	7. Seven

_Under Desert Skies_

Chapter Seven

The sun rose into the pink sky, hidden by the veil of the ridges up ahead. Yasmine sighed as she urged Rabi down the slope. They had stolen out of Peda at midnight and ridden hard until they had reached the halfway point. She tilted her head up to gaze at the stars that were fading away. There was a chill on the air that penetrated her cloak, but she didn't mind it. She found it rather invigorating at this time of the morning. Up ahead, Trowa and Heero were talking to themselves quietly, voices nothing more than ghostly murmurs to her. 

Rabi snorted as she started down the rocky ground, picking her way through with caution. Yasmine rolled her eyes before she clucked at Rabi. "There's nothing to be worried about. You're not going to get a rock in your hoof." 

"Having some trouble there, Yasmine?" 

She looked back to see Duo coming down the slope behind her. "Rabi has picked this time to become particular about where she steps." Yasmine glared at her horse as Rabi turned her head and showed her teeth. "Bite me and you'll regret it. You're too used to palace life, that's your problem." 

Rabi gave a somewhat petulant snort before she started walking down, small clouds of dust rising as she trotted down to the bottom. Yasmine didn't say anything for a moment as Duo came up beside her, the silence somewhat tense. 

"So, Yasmine, why did you leave Laharish?" 

"For my life," she said. "If I wanted to keep it, it was in my best interest to flee. My father remarried. Let's say that his new wife didn't like me." 

"That's pretty harsh." Duo didn't say anything. "My father offered to marry me to some woman. I wanted nothing to do with her." 

"Was she some simpering fool?" 

"Yup," Duo nodded. "And she needed me to do everything for her. I know I have to take some responsibility, but not that much. I need a more spirited woman." 

"I see." Yasmine stared at the reins in her hands before she looked at him with a smile. "You'll find her some day." 

"Thanks. But I think I'll remain a bachelor for now. I like my tent the way it is. Besides, I don't think I'm cut out for marriage." Duo grinned at her. "When you find your family, I'll come and visit you some time." 

"That would be nice," Yasmine said. "Allowing that they don't take your visits the wrong way." 

Duo's face paled for a second. "Or maybe you can visit me." 

"A woman coming to your tent alone? That would raise some questions, would it not?" 

"Nope. Women do as they please. Equal status as men does allow for certain liberties. Though a guy visiting a girl still seems to mean marriage in the future." 

Yasmine looked at him in surprise. "That sounds even better than palace life." 

Duo laughed. "That's been said before. And…" he frowned, wheeling his mount around. 

"Is something wrong?" Yasmine looked at the top of the ridge that they had just descended. What was Duo trying to see up there? 

"Heero, Trowa, we have some company!" he called, reining his horse around. "Run for it, Yasmine!" 

Yasmine looked to see them taking off. When she looked back up at the ridge, she saw horses coming over the lip, tearing down at breakneck speed. She cursed to herself and smacked Rabi sharply on the hindquarters. She took off like a frightened bird, hoofs thundering over the arid ground. She glanced back, seeing a line of them stretch out across the plain, all five riders. She smacked Rabi's hindquarters again, making her increase her speed. Then she felt a familiar whizzing sensation that made her duck closer to her horse. 

"They want to play this game do they?" she though angrily as she sat up and drew an arrow and notched it. "Fire arrows at me?" 

She turned around and let one fly. It thunked into a pursuer's shoulder, flinging him from his horse with its force. She whipped the reins now, Rabi's feet flying across the ground, Trowa, Duo and Heero were just up ahead and nearing what appeared to be bones protruding from the ground. She gritted her teeth as she concentrated on them; that must have marked the entrance to the flats. If she could only make it that far… 

A curse flew past her lips as the remaining four riders drew even with her, lassos in their hands. A stab of fear clutched her throat as they threw at the same time, two binding Rabi around the neck and two binding her. The world suddenly dropped as Rabi reared, throwing Yasmine off her back. She couldn't even break her fall as she landed on her side with a painful thud. 

"Well, well. Looks like we caught ourselves a pricey bird." a man rode up on his horse, looking down at her; he must have been the leader. 

She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the blood running down his shoulder. Blood, red, with the colour of life, the colour of rage. She whipped her head around as Rabi, screamed, trying to free herself from the jerking ropes as she tried to bite her captors. She staggered to her feet, anger in her eyes. 

"How dare you," she began standing perfectly still, ropes hanging from her like vines. "You treat me like a common criminal and dare to touch my horse, and you dare to talk to me in that manner?" 

"I'll talk to you as I like. You're nothing more than a pretty face that will pay for my dinner back at Laharish." the man gave her a disdainful look. "Truss her up men." 

Yasmine's expression didn't change. "I am not going anywhere." she stated. 

The men looked at her like she was insane before they laughed and yanked her down to the ground with the ropes. Or rather tried, for nothing happened when they pulled with all their strength. Yasmine glared at them, feeling something inside herself crumble away. She didn't say anything before she grabbed the twisted lengths in her hands, red and white light crackling down them. The men screamed as soon as the light touched their skin. It enveloped them and vanished in second, leaving only piles of ashes. The other two men dropped the ropes holding down Rabi as they made a run for it. Yasmine turned to face them, light crackling off her body. Two bolts darted out and reduced them to ashes, the horses taking off in fear. 

"You," Yasmine said in a strangely dead voice. "You…" 

The leader finally moved from the sight before him, trying to flee. Yasmine extended a hand, palm open, and snapped it back, palm closed. The horse and the man stiffened before they came floating back over the ground right in front of Yasmine. 

"Tell that Egyptian whore that I am not done with her Tell her that I still live and breathe and will never forget what she has done. Blood shall be paid for in blood." 

The man's eyes widened in fear as Yasmine opened her hand, releasing him from her grasp. The man took off in the opposite direction, whipping his horse frantically. Yasmine watched him go before she closed her eyes. Whatever had been released into her was draining away rapidly. She only managed to open her eyes slightly before she crumpled to the ground, unable to do anything more than float off into the blissfully comforting darkness before her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Drops of water crashed down into a pool. Yasmine winced at the sound as it reverberated through her head. She opened her eyes to slits, a soft light greeting her. _'Allah…'_ She sat up, the world suddenly swimming around her. Her eyes squeezed shut to block out the whirling world before she was gently eased back down onto a soft surface. 

"You took a lot out of yourself. Rest." 

Her brow furrowed as she opened her eyes more cautiously and saw Trowa wringing a cloth. She watched as he wiped her brow, the water cool and refreshing. She hadn't even realized how warm she had been. "What happened back there?" she asked, managing to sit up. 

"You killed four men." Trowa paused for a moment. "At least you killed them quickly." 

Yasmine blinked as she struggled to comprehend his words. It felt like some horrible dream and she had just woken up to find herself in a strange place. "I killed four men?" 

Trowa nodded. "You mean you never knew?" 

"Never knew what?" 

Trowa didn't say anything, rising and coming back with a mirror in his hand. He gave it to her and took his seat again once more. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." 

"I see myself," she said, gazing down at the surface. "And a rather dirty face, but still myself." 

Trowa shook his head as he rinsed the cloth and wrung it dry. "Look beyond the surface. Look at what you cannot see." 

Yasmine frowned but looked back into the mirror, puzzled by what she should be looking for. She stared at the mirror intently, her eyes shifting in and out of focus. Then she saw something for a split second before it vanished away. 

"What did you see?" 

"I saw light…red and white." she frowned as she gazed intently into the mirror. "Maybe it wasn't my imagination." 

Trowa shook his head as he took the mirror from her. "It wasn't. There are very few with abilities such as ours." 

"As ours?" Yasmine looked at him. "What do you mean by ours?" 

"Magic." Trowa gave her a faint smile. "And judging from your abilities, you come from a long line of shamans." 

Yasmine shook her head as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "No, that can't be true. Mother would have told me something. She would have told me something…" she finished in a whisper. 

Trowa didn't say anything for a moment before he picked up a small red seed from a dish and moved aside a small section of the rug to reveal the sand beneath. Yasmine watched as he dug a shallow hole and placed the seed in. He dripped a bit of water over it and covered it again. He glanced at her before he held his hand over the spot. She watched as it pulsed with a green tinge, heat radiating off of it. A few minutes later, a seedling pushed its way through the say, leaves outstretched to them. 

"That is one of the few things that magic can do." Trowa made a slight pressing motion. 

The seedling retracted back into the ground. She glanced at Trowa and he nodded his head. She grasped a handful of sand and allowed it trickled through her fingers. All that remained in her hand in the end was a pomegranate seed, the pale seed encased in the ruby flesh. She looked up at him quickly, amazement on her face. 

"You mean to tell me that I can do things like this?" she asked in a soft voice. 

"Yes. But it is a long process and not for people of faint resolve." Trowa paused. "It might be in your best interest though." 

"What makes you say that?" she asked cautiously. 

"There was a girl in this tribe, Varase, who refused to train and give an outlet to her power. Time and time again, she ignored it, keeping it bottled up inside. And she slowly went insane. She's still here. All she does is sit down and mutter to herself." Trowa didn't say anything for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. "I don't wish to make you do anything, but it is a very real possibility that it can happen to you, should you not do something about it." 

Yasmine didn't say anything, nodding her head slowly. "I want to take a walk." 

Trowa nodded as he rose. "Ailysha's family will be coming by to see you." 

Yasmine didn't say anything as she rose, walking out of the tent and out into the dim sunset lit area, not paying any attention to Trowa who was following her. _'I was asleep all day?'_ She looked around disoriented, a few people outside looking at her warily. She didn't blame them one bit. Her gaze found itself straying to the largest tent set up on a slight hill. _'That must be the leader's…'_ She turned away, boots scuffing up dirt. Her feet took a path for her, weaving through the tents and myriad of people. Perhaps she should see this Varase for herself and determine from there. 

"Excuse me? Where is Varase?" she asked an old woman who was seated outside her tent. 

The woman didn't say anything but pointed to a tent on the fringe of the others. It looked somewhat run down and worn beyond repair as if no one had been taking care of it at all. Her brow furrowed as she walked towards the tent, a somewhat strange smell reaching her nose. 

"Hello?" she called, seeing no one outside. Maybe they were inside. "Is anyone here?" 

"What do you want?" a dour looking woman whipped back the tent flap, her beady eyes glaring at Yasmine. "Are you here to gawk at my daughter?" 

"No. I just wanted to see her. Trowa told me about her." 

A few tense moment's passed as the two women regarded each other. The woman didn't say anything but stepped aside, allowing Yasmine and Trowa to step in. "She's in the back. Just sit down and don't say anything when you see her." 

Yasmine nodded and made her way through the tent. It really was run down. The mother must have been hard pressed to simply take care of her daughter, let alone any other small thing that would need her attention. She stopped in front of a cloth partition, the humble brown cloth effectively screening who lay behind. Taking a deep breath, Yasmine pushed the cloth aside and walked past. 

The girl sat on the ground, shoulders hunched up as she rocked back and forth. Yasmine managed to stifle her reaction of fear and curiosity. She sat down just in front of the partition, watching the Yarase with pity. This was something she could afford to have happen to herself. But what if the power within her released itself in such a destructive manner again? How many people would die? How many souls would she have to repent for? 

She looked up, hearing a mutter. "I beg your pardon?" 

"She will come." Varase stopped rocking. "She will come…" 

"Who will come?" Yasmine asked in a slight voice, half-fearful of the reply. 

"The one from the dark sands," Varase lifted her head, eyes staring ahead in a blank manner. "Corpses will rain down as never before." 

"How do you know?" Yasmine's voice sounded dry. 

"I saw it." Varase tilted her head in an insect-like manner. "I saw her rise from the Earth…I saw the bodies start to fall…I saw another rise, from the light sands." 

Yasmine swallowed, sufficiently convinced that she should go through the training. Varase's eyes focused on her, the pale unearthly green seeing her for the first time. 

"You must!" 

Yasmine cried out as Varase grabbed her shoulders, and shook her. "Must…what?" she managed as her sight was blocked by strands of tangled hair. 

"You must rinse away the dark sands and purify what was once clean! You must for all our sakes, you must! You must!" 

Yasmine tried to pry Varase's grip from her shoulders, but she was being shaken so hard that she couldn't get a good grip. 

Suddenly, Trowa and the mother were there, pulling Varase off of her. Yasmine pulled herself away, coughing as she tried to get her breath back. The woman tried to calm down her now distressed daughter, while Trowa helped Yasmine to her feet. 

"Perhaps you shouldn't come back here." he offered in a calm voice. 

Yasmine glanced at Varase before she nodded and quickly left the tent. "That I was not expecting." 

"As were we," Trowa paused. "Yasmine, this will be rushed but-" 

"Yes." She said, cutting him off. "I am taking no chances." 

Trowa nodded. "Ailysha's family should be at the tent by now." 

"Don't bother." she said as she stared at the ground. "They are not my relatives." 

Trowa glanced at her. "You know this for sure?" 

"I have seen my mother's people before. The Draza'carth look nothing like them. I am sorry to have wasted those people's time." 

"Very well, I shall tell them and then we can eat dinner." he looked at her. "Training begins tomorrow at dawn." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The early morning sky was a dark blue, studded with the points of stars, still bright. The somewhat frigid air moved briskly, past the two figures sat on the top of a hill just outside the encampment, perfectly still. Yasmine glanced down at her knees, wishing she could move. Trowa had woken her up when the sky was still dark. They hadn't even eaten breakfast before they had come out here to sit and meditate. _'Wishing will do you no good.'_ Yasmine closed her eyes once more, allowing the silence to fill her mind once more. All she knew was that feeling of pervading coldness. It made its way down to her very bones and settled there, numbing and awakening at the same time. It was as if her body was that of a corpse, unable to move and react, yet she was acutely aware of every single heartbeat, of the blood rushing through her veins and arteries. 

Suddenly, she felt something on her skin, something warm. Her eyes remained closed as she allowed the feeling to wash over her. It tingled at first, warming the chill from her. Her brow furrowed as she felt the tingle increase to gentle warmth. That was much too rapid. But perhaps she should learn to go with the flow of it, rather than fight and worry about it. 

Her breathing remained the same as the gentle warmth increased to a feverish heat. She kept breathing calmly, doing her best to not panic and run off. The heat forged itself into an inferno, blazing away as something fuelled it. Yasmine sat there, unwilling to move, until she had something she could work with. The longer she sat there, the calmer and relaxed she felt. The inferno was blazing, true; but she felt no pain. It was as if she was one with the flames and they could do nothing to injure her. 

She allowed the heat to suffuse through her, banishing the heat away. All she did was tilt hr head up slightly to allow herself to enjoy the sensations further. Her eyes opened to slits hesitantly, finding the pink orange sky before her. 

"Trowa…" she whispered, unsure if she was seeing right. 

"Yes?" his voice was quiet, expectant. 

"What's that?" 

Faint white wisps were floating up into the air, melding into the very fabric of space around them. Yasmine looked Trowa surprised to see a pleased expression in his eyes. 

"That was you choosing the nature of your magic." Trowa rose. "We're done here. We'll get breakfast now." 

Yasmine hid the wince as her knees creaked when she rose. She wasn't used to sitting down for so long. "What do you mean by 'choosing'?" 

Trowa didn't say anything for a moment. "More often than not, shamans have more than one type of magic in them, sometimes complete opposites. Life and death, earth and air. You had fire and death in you, two negatives. That is why it burst from you that day on the plains. It simply could not be contained any longer." 

Yasmine didn't say anything. "So what was that white…air I saw rising above me." 

"The shaman must choose between the two powers residing in them. Keeping both only spells disaster. However, if the shaman makes a conscious decision, then both remain. It must come from the inner solitude of the shaman. From there, the one that should stay will expel the other." 

"So which one do I have?" Yasmine asked as they made their way to the center of the tents. 

"You tell me." Trowa said, finding some kindling and starting a fire and walking off. 

Yasmine sat down in front of the cheery flames, watching them crackle away. She shook her head as she cursed herself. How could she be so silly? It was right in front of her. Trowa came back ad handed her some bread, dried meat and fruit before he sat beside her. They didn't say anything, eating in companionable silence. When they had finished, Yasmine stared at the fire intently. 

"Can I control the feeling? The feeling that I'll burst into flame?" 

"Over time, yes." Trowa paused for a moment. "Red represents the flames, white being death." 

"And green is earth." she murmured, broodingly. "Is blue water?" 

Trowa nodded. "Yellow is life, air is a light purple colour." 

"I see." Yasmine didn't say anything as she stretched out her hand and focused on the fire. There was no need for it. Better they conserve what little fuel they had. She wanted the flames to die down to nothing, to be non-existent. The flames grew smaller and smaller, as if in response, until they outed themselves completely, small tendrils of smoke rising from the wood. She looked back at Trowa and grinned. "I did it." 

"You did well, but no more for today. It can be draining for a novice." 

Yasmine nodded as she regarded the wood. "How long will it take me to achieve the same level as you, Trowa?" 

Trowa didn't say anything, simply gazing off into the distance as he mulled over something. Yasmine bit her lip, wishing she hadn't uttered those words. She looked up at the ridge they had been sitting on, seeing the tip of the sun peeking over. She smiled, as the sky became a rich orange-red gold, gilding the tents around them. The Draza'carth would be the start of her new life. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
